Year One: The Academic
by Mistress of Sarcasm
Summary: It all started the day Jaden Yuki asked the girl next to him in History if she wanted to duel, and signed Lia Shanner up for an adventure she wasn't ready for.
1. The Program

Warnings: The story will be O.C. heavy. I will attempt to make this character as un-Sueish as I possibly can (According to the Mary Sue Litmus Test, I've done a pretty good job), but the fact remains that most (if not all) of the altercations I have made to the original plot line stem from the character I have introduced to into the story. If you are a person who can't stomach heavy amounts of an O.C. in a story, than I apologize, because I don't think you will enjoy this story. Other than that, this story is rated mainly for the language that will pop up in later chapters (I'm making the cast start to speak like actual teenagers), and a warning about the flow. It's going to take a little while to get the feel for this story, so expect teh first few chapters to be a but choppy. I'm no published author, and if there's one flaw (trust me, there are a great many more, but this is the one I hate the most) in my writing, it's that my flow needs work. Other than that, I hope you enjoy this piece.

Disclaimer: If I owned _Yugioh GX_, there would be people talking like they will eventually in this story. i.e.- cussing their mouths off.

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Sarcasm Productions is proud to present a Mistress presentation, brought you by Aqualoner, The Beta, and :

**Year One: The Academic**

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Ottilia Shanner ("Lia. It's just Lia." She would insist in her curt, controlled voice. She was never one to lose her cool over something so trivial. Or even something grand. Lia's head was one that was kept, even in a crisis) was no stunning beauty.

She wasn't the sweet, gentle fairytale princess with long locks of gold tumbling free over her slender, but still well curved body. She wasn't the wicked temptress in black leather and deceptively innocent white lace lying open over sensual skin, dangerous smirk on her perfectly ruby lips. She wasn't even the tragic heroine, dark blue (or green, both were appropriate) eyes flashing bravely in the face of her adversary, grim face still breathtaking despite being covered in grime and sweat and blood, and still very much capable of bringing grown men to their knees in her purity and kindness. And she was most certainly not the enchantress, evil and good in one, her entire form a concentration of the terrible beauty the gods had long degree unfit for mortal kind.

No, Lia Shanner ("_Shaaaner. Shaaaaaaaner_. With a long 'a'. As in '_aaaaaple_." She enunciated with a grimace. " Not _Shayner_, as in '_ape_'.") was none of these things. She was, in her own words, and the words of many others, the 'plain type.'

She was an unimpressive 155 centimeters –five foot _something_, she'd been told, in imperial-, with cold hazel eyes and skin that tended to burn rather than tan. As a result, she was rather pale, a few, sparse freckles arranged in no particular manner across her –admittedly- well shaped nose. Her mouth consisted of two, slightly darkened pink lips that darkened even more when she worried her lower one between her teeth (a childhood habit she was about to get rid of. She had bitten her lips instead of her nails). Her face was rounded, framed by a set of curly brown tendrils that wouldn't stay slicked to her head no matter what products she used. The rest of her mane was a head of brown curls that tended to flicker with red in the right lights, if someone was sitting close enough to see (but no one ever was), and had the nasty habit of frizzing up in humid weather.

She was thin thing, scrawny even, with small shoulders, a delicate looking neck, and hardly any curves. Her body stood in a straight line, sans anything remotely resembling hips and only the slightest bumps on her chest. Lia had given up hoping that she may yet develop because at fourteen, her elder cousins had all started to look like goddesses in denim and cotton shirts and Lia herself like a little girl swimming in her mother's clothes.

Still, swimming in her mother's clothing would _have_ to be better than _this_.

She twisted to right and regarded herself in the glass.

No.

The left.

No.

Sliding it off her shoulders and tying it around her waist.

No, no, that just made her look even more chest-less.

Sighing at her extreme misfortune, Lia, undid the knot at her waist, and pushed the yellow jacket back up onto her slim shoulders.

" Look at it this way, _cherie_." She murmured to her blank-faced, utterly depressed reflection. " At least it can't get any worse."

She eyed herself again.

" I look like a banana." She stated, with a twinge of disbelief. " An unpeeled banana. I am going to one of the _best_ educational institutes offered in the modern world, and I look like an unpeeled banana."

She moaned, and threw herself back on the bed.

" Pourquoi est-ce que j'ai fait cela?" She muttered exasperatedly to the ceiling above her.

" _And why is it that you want to go to my school?"_

"_Honestly, sir?" A nod. " Because it's you, and really, your standards are going to be incredible. You've never settled for anything less than the absolute best, and this school is one of your top projects. Really, are my expectations of you and your work so off the mark?"_

" I just _had_ to get all precocious, didn't I?" She said to the ceiling, forcing herself to speak in English. " I _had_ to impress him by being a little brat, didn't I? Dieu," She hissed, looking with massive distaste at the jacket she wore, " he might be the most brilliant man on Earth, but he has no idea of what _a la mode_ means."

She hauled herself off the bed, and eyed the clock on the wall.

"Well, cherie, your imminent doom awaits."

Grabbing the travel bag at the foot of her bed, she threw once last look around her room, taking in the poster that crinkled at the edges from being up for too many years, the stained wood of her dresser where she'd knocked over a glass of water three months ago, the reddish hue of one corner of her bedspread where she'd had her first-

She shook her head, faint blush on her cheeks, and tossed the travel bag over her shoulder.

" Well, I suppose that this is _au revoir_, ma chère chambre." She ran her hand down the side of her door lovingly. " Tu me manqueras."

She heaved a final sigh, and exited the room, travel bag still resting in the crook where her neck met her shoulder.

Three seconds later she darted back in, slammed the door closed, and looked in her reflection in the mirror hanging on the back of her bedroom door.

" Pour _quoi_ est-ce que j'ai besoin d'être dans le dortoir _jaune_?" She snarled, and kicked the mirror half-heartedly. With a final, frustrated snort, she stalked out of the room for real, cursing under her breath the fact the Seto Kaiba saw fit to put her in the dorm in whose colour she looked the worst in.

Lia Shanner wasn't often in such a fuss, didn't often indulge in a hissy fit, bordering on an undignified (and Lord, how she hated to be undignified) temper tantrum, but when she did, more often than not, it was about her appearance.

But Lia Shanner had just turned 14 that August, and had so ushered herself into that glorious age where she wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow her whole, because she hated her body, hated her hair, and most of all hated how figureless and little girlish her much curvier (and rather noticeably older, but she ignored that) cousin's clothes made her look.

Young adulthood was a turbulent time for any person, but the day Lia Shanner boarded the plane bearing the Kaiba logo (a Blue Eyes White Dragon. She rolled her eyes at Monsieur Kaiba's originality, and wondered if the man thought of anything other than his company, his brother, and how many objects he could tack that godforsaken dragon on.) at l'aéroport nationale de Paris, she had idea exactly _how_ turbulent young adulthood was about to get for her.

" _You seem confidant you'll get in."_

" _Have I any reason to begin panicking, sir?"_

" _Not really. It's just that most of the applicants have lost their nerve when they come face to face with me."_

" _I admire and respect you, Monsieur Kaiba. But it takes a lot to make me fear a person."_

" _Is that so?"_

" _I've helped my mother follow the footsteps of the Holocaust victims. I've been with her to the graves of Rwanda. I've seen the records of the Armenian Genocide. I find it difficult to imagine that you are anywhere as cruel or heartless as the men who instigated those atrocities."_

" …_Well played, Ms. Shanner. Well played."_

" _Merci, Monsieur Kaiba." _

Seto Kaiba was a genius.

No one in their right minds (and possibly a few _out_ of their right minds. No one had ever proven Ryou Bakura's sanity) would dispute that fact. The man was _brilliant_, fantastically so, and while he had never actually released his test scores to the public, anyone could guess at his GPA.

(He never let anyone see that either. Some nonsense about _privacy_ and _moral ethics_ – like _he_ was really one to talk – and _if you don't stop bugging me about this I will have you hung from that light post in the dead center of Domino City. Yes, of course I can do that, I'm __**Seto Kaiba**__!_)

But all school related achievements aside, the man was undeniably brainy.

That being said, when he was confronted (well, not confronted, as the perpetrators didn't even have the guts to go up to him face to face and tell him) about his favourite project, Seto Kaiba proved his genius once again by coming up with the perfect (and deliciously _ironic_) solution.

His board of education – that little, overpaid section he'd set up to monitor _Duel Academy_ (he even loved the name)- had, early one morning about two and half years after Duel Academy had admitted its first, eager pupil, received an e-mail from the National Board of Education – not that they were any better than his board, but Kaiba was a business man, not a politician, and couldn't be bothered getting into any office other than the one that rested atop his massive skyscraper in downtown Domino. As such, they may have been the _National _Board of Education, but his Board was just as qualified, if not more qualified, to run the educational system- concerning his Academy.

To make a long – and loud, angry, chalked full of vicious swearing and Mokuba sitting on an office couch with a bowl of popcorn, enjoying the show – story short, the e-mail voiced the _concerns_ (" Concerns my ass." Kaiba had been heard to mutter when pressed about the subject. " They were just pissed someone half the age of their youngest member was doing a better job at running a school than them.") about his _cute_, _little_ school. (" One, don't call one of my projects cute and two, never refer to anything related to me as _little_. _Nothing_." Kaiba was also heard to say this when pressed. Whether or not the last line had anything to do with the attractive redhead standing with Mokuba Kaiba several feet away with whom Kaiba was seen leaving hand-in-hand with is yet undetermined.) The e-mail continued, pointing out that a school was meant to educate children about life skills they would need later on in the real world and work force (" Dueling is a way of life." Said one of the few interviews Kaiba allowed on the subject. " Just because they probably wouldn't know a trap card from a spell card doesn't mean they should be depriving kids of the right to learn about it.") and would be able to use for the rest of their lives, not silly card games!( " …" At this point, loud cursing could be heard all over downtown, claimed one pedestrian, originating from the Kaiba Corp. building.) The e-mail concluded with the statement that unless Seto Kaiba started teaching a _real_ curriculum at his school, the National Board of Education would be forced (" What were they going to do, sic grade school kids at me?" Kaiba had been heard to scoff. Loudly. To the public. On national T.V.) to shut Duel Academy down.

In the brave words of the CEO,

"Over my dead, mangled body."

(There were several other words included in the original statement, but seeing as the statement was made to an audience consisting of all ages, they were edited out.)

As it was, the National Board of Education – again, his Board was just as qualified, and could probably do a _much_ better job if he ever decided to instigate a hostile takeover (he'd actually not done too many of those. It took time away from his brother and his deck)- had ruffled the almost unruffleable – Mokuba made the word up. The soon-to-be Mrs. Kaiba thought it was cute – feathers of Seto Kaiba and he had been on the war path.

But by a stroke of luck, the National Board had forgotten one very important thing:

Seto Kaiba was as competitive as he was brilliant.

He could easily have taken those pompous, stuck-up, crotchety old windbags down, either in a courtroom or a duel arena, but where would the fun in that have been? Where would the thrill, the chase, the excitement, have been in that? (His fiancée told him he was slightly obsessed. He told her she loved it. She didn't deny it, just looked at him with a strange expression on her face, and he got no work done that night. Not that he complained. Mokuba might have, had the boy not learned that going into his brother's office late at night when his almost-sister-in-law was there was a _very_ bad idea.)

So Seto Kaiba, in all his admitted and acknowledged brilliance, came up with a plan that would both satisfy the demands those old bastards had presented, and allow him to keep his school running the way he had meant it to be.

He had not wanted to compromise his duelist students.

But if the National Board wanted him to start teaching subjects like French, and math, and history, then he would do just that.

With the right students, of course.

After many nights spent going over files, hiring new teachers, analyzing criteria, and hand picking the test subjects in his latest expriment, Seto Kaiba announced the creation of the Academic Program, to be implemented at his school, Duel Academy.

His Academy would remain the way he had intended it, a learning environment for the next generation of duelists and possibly, the next King of Games (God, he hated Yuugi as much as he respected him). But starting the following year, the doors of Duel Academy would be open to any student, duelist or not, who wished to get a top ranking education. They would have to send in applications, sit through a rigorious 'entrance exam', have a background check run, and then have a one-on-one interview with himself, to see if they were worthy of his school. The applications would be open to anyone at the North American equivalent of eighth grade, ready to start high school in the fall.

He had smirked in the camera, and let it pan out to show the millions upon millions of applications flowing into his company behind him.

He had won.

"_I did this background check personally, and it says here that you were moved up a grade in grade three. Is that correct?"_

" _Yes sir." _

" _And why were you moved up?"_

" _You'll have to ask Monsieur __Letête__ to be sure, as he was the one who moved me up, but I believe it had something to do with my, if I may call it that, precociousness."_

" _You think of yourself as precocious?"_

"_When you were my age, didn't you, Monsieur Kaiba?"_

The search had been … _difficult_, to say the least.

Seto Kaiba was a proud man, and was not about to let just anyone into his precious school. He looked over application after application after application, and when his eyes hurt too much to look at any more, he sent them down to the team he had assembled to weed out the unworthy, and had _them_ spend pointless hours looking at curvy handwriting that always began with '_I think I should be allowed to participate in the Academic Program because…_'

Ever so often, either he or his team would come across something good, and have the kid flown up to the testing facility outside of Domino for the entrance exam and the interview, during which the background check was run.

Interestingly enough, Kaiba never ran the check before the entrance exam was written. As he said to one brave reported who asked him why, he wanted to be impressed by the kid, not the kid's background. If the kid was rich, but couldn't add two plus two, then, in his own words:

" I don't care how much money your parents are willing to shovel out. If you don't have what it takes, you aren't getting into my school. That being said, if you _do_ have what it takes, but are having financial trouble, Kaiba Corp. will be more than willing to help out. And I'm sure the National Board of Education has some sort of scholarship plan set up for that kind of situation."

He'd said it with a sneer.

As it was, there was several hundred who 'had what it took' to make it into the Academic Program, and so, by the end of the fourth year of Duel Academy, the students had receive letters over the summer that the Program was a go, and the following year they should be ready to share their dorms with the non-dueling students of Duel Academy.

There was a few rocky starts, but several Duelists (as the dueling students were dubbed) had had friends back in there hometowns who didn't duel, so the Academics (as the non-dueling students were dubbed) found that, all around, they had a pretty good time of it.

As the Program flourished – something Kaiba had never stopped rubbing in the National Board's faces – the classes reserved strictly for the Academics opened up to the Duelists. The argument against it was that that meant that the Dueling classes ought to be open for the Academics, but a last minute poll taken by the top students from both factions showed that less then 2% of the Academics would be interested in taking Duelist classes, while a rousing 86% of Duelists were interested in the Academic classes.

This poll eventually led to the addition of the Academic classes listed on the course selection sheet for any entering student at Duel Academy.

I'm not going to tell you how much I 'belong' at your school, or how much I 'deserve' to go there, because, if I am to be completely honest (and I pride myself on that), those two decisions are entirely up to you, and you alone, Monsieur Kaiba. This is your school, your facility, and I am not about to come waltzing in to tell you who you should and should not be allowing into it. If you decide I'm worthy, then yes, I will be delighted and honoured. If you don't, then I will probably sigh, and apply elsewhere. It's not that I don't care about getting into the Academic Program; it's just that I have decided not to limit myself to this particular program. It is, however, my first choice. Why? Simply because of the quality you have displayed in all other aspects of your life, Monsieur Kaiba, from your dueling to your love life (in passing, I wish you marital bliss and my congratulations on your up-coming nuptials) and I am expecting the same quality, the same high standards from your school. I barely begin to imagine all the possibilities that are spawned from saying: I went to the school owned and run by Seto Kaiba. Am I just using your good name to further myself? Undoubtedly, sir. But, respectfully, you are just using us to raise your school to new, staggering heights. Do I deserve a place at Duel Academy? That is for you to decide. Do I think I do? Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Sincerely, Ottilia Shanner, age 13. The problem with the addition of the Academic classes to the course selection sheet was that when of the new attendants of Duel Academy casually glanced down the list to see what it was that they wanted to take that year, the confusing number of classes (ranging anywhere from Fusion to the ever popular Academic equivalent to ninth grade math) tended leave them desperate to figure out what was what. Usually, this meant seeking out a teacher, and bugging the more informed individual to explain the massive amount of choices the students were allotted, and what each course entailed (although, that could easily be looked up in the Course Guide. But no one seemed to think of it, save for a few level headed Academics). The aforementioned confusion over the large amount of choices had, on several occasions, been the cause of students ending up in courses they hadn't wanted, or had no clue of what they were doing. (One example would be the year that half of the Obelisk Blue boys had ended up in Auto Shop, when they had been attempting to take the follow-up course to Field Spells 101, conveniently located right next to each other on the course selection sheet. Dr. Crowler had had a fit at the sight of several of his most prized pupils in greasy overalls with oil smeared across their faces, laughing with several Academics who were teaching them how to build a motorcycle from scratch. Atticus Rhodes, for one, ended up with a sleek blue set of wheels by the end of the year; his groups end-of-the-year-project.)

Students who were less than observant were usually the most likely to find themselves in that mess. It usually meant a quick trip to the Chancellor's office to straighten up the situation, dropping the course and then taking the one they had wanted in the first place. If the class was already full, they were forced to go with their second or third choices. On rare occasions, the student in question chose to stay in the class, usually for the experience of doing something not related to dueling. (Atticus Rhodes stuck Auto Shop out, mainly because his fellow students tended to blast music while they worked, and encouraged him to sing right along into the tool he happened to be working with at the time.)

Unfortunately for him, Jaden Yuki was not observant.

He was a good deal many other things (loyal, kind, funny, sweet, a hero, were titles that would later be bestowed to him out of gratitude, or simply getting to know him), but he was most definitely not observant. So as he was checking off what classes he wanted that year, he had the dismal luck to be distracted by something Syrus was muttering about 'brothers' and 'bullies'. Jaden turned to ask Syrus what he was going on about, and as Syrus was assuring him it was nothing (Jaden didn't buy it, but let it slide), his hand dropped about half a centimeter on the page, and he made his check in the wrong box.

" _Je suis folle__." She murmured to herself as she filled out the application. Last name, first name, middle name (optional), age, parents/guardians, place of birth, current residence (street, number, district, city/town, country) etc., etc., " __Je suis folle complètement. C'est l'explication seule__." She rolled her eyes and bit the end of the pen as she came to the three pieces of foolscap provided for her 'Why You Should Let Me Into Your School' letter. She took a deep breath, and put the pen to the paper._

" _Merde__!" She swore. " __J'oubliais, j'ai besoin de l'écrire en anglais! Stupide, stupide, stupide__!" She berated herself, and applied the pen anew. Forcing herself to write in the language stated in the 'Terms of Application', she puttered along, twisting phrases around under her breath, cursing the fact that there were several convincing phrases she could not translate directly from French to English, and therefore they lost a great deal of the potency. " __L'anglais est stupide, et je ne comprend pas pour quoi la lettre a besoin d'être en anglais. S'il est le génie tout le monde pensent il est, c'est logique qu'il peut lire français.__" She was so busy with her letter she didn't even notice her mother come in and leave her a snack. The cookies on the plate went untouched._

Jaden Yuki really didn't pay that much attention to his surroundings. He just moseyed along to wherever it was that he was supposed to be at his own pace, often making people wait for him. It wasn't out of any malice, or some egotistical belief that he was better than people. Jaden Yuki just liked to move at his own pace, and enjoy the world, not rush through it like everyone else he knew. He enjoyed the feeling of walking at his own pace, lost in his own thoughts and own ideas and, recently, conversing with a fluffy brown fuzz ball with wings that had taken to following him around, and that only he could see.

As it turned out, Jaden Yuki knew nothing of the Academic Program, and so received the shock of his life after turning to the brunette sitting next to him in his first period class and asking her if she wanted to duel him sometime.

The girl had finished highlighting something on the course outline sheet they'd been given (Jaden hadn't bothered to look at his yet. He like it when the teacher walked the class through it. Less need for actual thought.), and scribbled something in the corner of the sheet with her other hand. (Ambidextrous, Jaden noted). She'd turned to look at with a blank face and uttered those fateful words:

" I don't duel."

And, invisible to everyone but the Winged Kuriboh hovering by Jaden's shoulder, the threads of Fate connecting the two brunets solidified with a snap.

" _You and I are quite alike, Monsieur Kaiba. We both tend to gravitate towards the things in this world gathered under the much abused label of 'The Best'." The scrap of a chair. The sound of footsteps again. A hand on the door handle. Turning back._

" _Humans will never obtain perfection, Ms. Shanner."_

" _I know that. So I intend to aim for the closest thing there is. Right now, Monsieur Kaiba, that is your school."_

" …_Welcome to the Academic Program, Ms. Shanner."_

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_Hello_ everyone! Merry Christmas! I hope you like your present, because for those of you who celebrate Christmas tomorrow (so most of the Western world who decided to grace my little fic with their presence, I'm guessing), you'll be getting chapter 2 bright and early (I'm lying. Look for it around noon. Or later. I liked to sleep in.)

I guess you'd like to know what's going on. Well, a couple of years ago, my friend and I discovered this little show called _Yugioh GX_, and decided we loved it, because (like with most 4kids dubs) we didn't really have to put much thought into it. We could just sit back, turn our brains off, and watch a bunch of teenagers in odd outfits save the world by playing card games. (And trust me, after spending an hour watching Death Note, I needed the time for my brain to reboot.)

After browsing the fandom, I happened to notice that most of the better GX fics (that is to say, the ones that make your eyes bug and your eyes water at the sheer awesomeness of it all) were written using the Japanese names. And while I'm sure it is superior (aren't they usually), I wanted to try and write something decent using the dub. (Because my friend thought it couldn't be done, and I wanted to prove him wrong).

So here I am. Not to say that the authors on the fandom aren't great, because they are, but I wanted to see if I could, well...try and fix the dub. I don't think anyone has quite used this angle yet. And I only used it because I can't write duels, and this gave me an easy out.

Now, for some translations; I initially made Lia French to practice my own, but then it also became a way to isolate her from most of her peers, which is a big theme with her character. And it helped to represent all the multiculturalism Duel Academy's got going on. Yes, I am using an online translator to help me along with Lia's lines, and I picked my French teacher's brain. But I am not French. If anything, I'm learning Canadian French, which, as we all know, is quite different from French French. But I made a point of setting my language (whenever Lia speaks French) on my document to French (France). In other words, please don't be offended if I haven't translated something right, or if I said something that was wrong. Just send me a short P.M., and let me know what I did wrong, or reccommend a new translator. Thank you for your consideration.

Cherie- darling

Pourquoi est-ce que j'ai fait cela - Why did I do that?

Dieu - God (this is the only time I'll translate that, since I think it should be obvious)

A la mode- in style

_au revoir_ ma chère chambre_ - _good bye my dear room.

Tu me manqueras - I will miss you (At least, that's what it means according to my teacher)

Pour _quoi_ est-ce que j'ai besoin d'être dans le dortoir _jaune_? - _Why_ do I have to be in the _yellow_ dorm?

_Je suis folle. Je suis folle complètement. C'est l'explication seule._ _Merde! J'oubliais, j'ai besoin de l'écrire en anglais! Stupide, stupide, stupide! L'anglais est stupide, et je ne comprend pas pour quoi la lettre a besoin d'être en anglais. S'il est le génie tout le monde pensent il est, c'est logique qu'il peut lire français._- I'm insane. I'm completely insane. It's the only explanation. Shit! I forgot, I have to write in English! Stupide, stupid, stupid! English is stupid, and I don't understand why the letter had to be in English. If he's the genius everyone thinks he is, it's logical that he can read French.

Until tomorrow then!

MoS

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	2. The Encounter

Warnings: A bit of O.O.C.-ness in this chapter, sorry about that. I'll work on it for the future chapters. Other than that, nothing I can think. Oh, Jaden is a bit of an idiot, but he's always like that, and it's why we love him.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

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**Year One: The Academic**

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When Jaden Yuki sat down in his first period class, he wasn't aware of anything but the still-there thrill of his entrance duel, and the fact that he was actually at _Duel Academy_! He'd spent all of the night before pinching himself to be sure that no, he wasn't just dreaming it all up, and yes, he would still be on Academy Island when he woke up. The sheer fact that he had _finally_ achieved his dream and was actually _there_ made him giddy and sent butterflies twisting around in his stomach. He may have even starting dancing around on the spot if he had had less dignity. He was so full of excitement and itching for a duel that he supposed it was no wonder he didn't notice the girl next to him until she gave a puzzled little 'hmm?' over something on the course outline sheet.

He jumped, startled, and turned to his left (because on his right was the aisle) to see a girl, sitting primly in her seat, course outline in front of her, and pen in her right hand. He blinked, surprised, and wondered when she'd sat down.

He didn't really pay her much mind until he started to get antsy, seeing as how the teacher had yet to come, and he wasn't about to look over the outline he'd snagged off the desk before anyone who could explain the thing had come. With a shrug and a decision that challenging the first person to cross his path to a duel was a bad idea, he turned slightly to the left and studied the girl's profile.

Her brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail, high enough up on her head so that the ends of her curls brushed the base of the back of her neck. She moved her head slightly as she read a line on the sheet, and Jaden was surprised to find that there was a barely-there flicker of red in brown, gone quick as a flash before he could register it. Her forehead was bared and he could see the pale colour of her skin in contrast to her dark hair. Three or four sparse freckles were dusted over her finely shaped nose, and her lips were set gently together in a straight line.

She was wearing, Jaden realized with some shock, a white turtleneck, pulled up as high as it would go on her slim neck. If he twisted his head a little, he caught sight of a pair of blue covered legs (Jeans, he supposed, that went all the way down. He vaguely wondered who dressed for late fall on a tropical island.), but what caught his attention and kept it (no small feat) was the yellow jacket draped over her shoulders.

'_She's in Ra Yellow, I guess_.' Jaden observed to himself. ' _Wonder if she knows Bastian. I could ask her, but…_" He winced as he tried to find a way to phrase the question without sounding like he was a completely clueless guy awkwardly trying to break the ice with a cute girl.

'_Okay, even __**I**__ think that sounds stupid._' He admitted when his mind presented him with a pathetically worded 'Hey, Ra Girl, you know a dude named Bastian? He's got a British accent and is kinda a know-it-all. I just thought, ya know, since you two are in the same dorm, you might know each other. Pretty silly, huh?' Insert awkward laughter and him rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

'_Well._' He stretched his arms out, and yawned sleepily, completely forgetting about the girl next to him – a testament to his short attention span - , ' _if the teach isn't gonna be here for a while, I might as well catch up on sleep._' He coiled himself up on his chair, lay his arms folded across the desk, and rested his head on them. The classroom was pleasantly warm, and, with the added heat of his Silfer jacket settled comfortably on his back, his eyes began to droop, and the first stirrings of sleep settled in on him. Maybe, if he was lucky, he's have the dream where he dueled-

" I wouldn't, if I were you."

A brusque, firm voice startled him out of the beginnings of sleep. He jumped with a muffled yelp and landed back down in the seat with a bounce. He blinked and looked around wildly, trying to find the source of the voice that had interrupted his slumber. He glanced around the classroom three times before his gazed settled back down on the girl.

She hadn't moved from the position he'd last seen her in. She was still bent over her outline, pen now resting behind her ear and highlighter in her left hand, scratching over the paper. She had shifted under the desk so that she could comfortably cross her legs, but other than that, she remained exactly the same as she had been several minutes ago, and Jaden had to wonder at her patience.

With a slight jolt, he realized she must be expecting an answer for the pains she'd gone through to warn him off his sleep, and so responded in a method both tried and true for him:

" Huh?"

The girl shifted again, bringing her ankle up to rub against some sort of itch on her calf, but did not turn to look at him.

" Don't sleep." She stated simply, highlighting something else, and Jaden was struck by the low-pitched voice, which gave a sense of the words rolling out of her mouth. It was actually quite appealing. " It's stupid to fall asleep in class on your first day here. You'll make a bad impression."

Jaden was pretty sure she had meant to say 'impression', but the 'r' ended up being rolled differently then he was used to, and her pronunciation of the last syllable was completely incomprehensible to him. Instead of the hard 'shun' he had anticipated, she rolled the sounds together in a softer version and let them out in a hiss-like fashion, sharply ending the word with a distinct 'n' sound. With slight concentration, Jaden concluded that the girl probably European, Spanish or French, or Polish, or something. He eyed her with renewed interest.

" But I'm tired." He whined, grinning in a charming manner. She didn't look at him, and remain unaffected.

" So get to bed earlier, take sleep pills if you're an insomniac, knock yourself out on the headboard." Her wrist flicked and the highlighter dug a wet line across the paper, thicker than it should have been. It was the only sign of her irritation. " I honestly don't care how you manage it, but get more sleep at night so your snores don't bother me during this, or any class we may have together, bien?"

Jaden blinked once again at the last word, and wondered from which language it drew its roots. He was about to forget the awkwardness it would undoubtedly cause, and just ask the girl where she was from, or what her accent was, when the longhaired teacher wandered in.

"Sorry everyone." He began in the dullest voice Jaden could imagine. " Emergency staff meeting took a bit longer than expected." He pulled out a piece of paper. " Let's take attendance. When I call your name, raise your hand and either say 'Here', or 'Present' to let me know that you are here and or present."

The girl next to Jaden stifled a snort. Jaden smiled cutely at her, but she was still engrossed in her outline, and so didn't notice. He allowed his attention to wander (and wondered if all the Duel Academy classrooms had no posters or pictures on their depressingly vague walls) until the teacher stumble on a name.

" Oati…Ohtile…Ohtil…Oh-"

" Oh-_til_-ia, sir." The girl answered.

Jaden turned to look at her, and found her with her head still down, searching her outline for something. Jaden wondered exactly how long the girl could keep her head down before all the blood rushed to the front of her forehead.

" Oh, yes, thank you Ottil-"

" I prefer to be called 'Lia', if it's all the same to you, sir," she said in the same clipped tone she had used with Jaden. " And while I have your attention, sir, there's something I'd like to discuss about the course outline."

" Um, well, I still have a few students to check off, so if you could wait-"

" This will only take a minute, _sir_." She stressed the last word, and Jaden found himself amused by her boldness.

'_Girl's got guts_.' He grinned. ' _You've got to give her that much_.' He felt strangely reminded of himself, with some of the teachers at his old middle school.

" Um, well…" The teacher eyed his attendance list, and then eyed the determined looking girl in the third row. His shoulders sagged and Jaden knew that the girl – Lia – had won. " Okay, what is it, Lia?"

" I noticed that we start off by looking at the major conflicts of the world, sir." She said primly, finally looking up from the course outline. " The World Wars, the Civil War in America, 1812, so on, so forth, even the Norman Conquest. We'll be looking at these conflicts and how they had an impact on the world today, correct?"

"Well, yes." The teacher nodded.

" And it says here," She indicated to a spot on the paper Jaden couldn't see, " that we will be looking at the victims of the conflicts, is that right?"

" Yes, Lia."

" Then please, _sir_-"

" I want some more?" Jaden interrupted, a Cheshire cat grin pasted in his face. The class turned to look at him, momentarily delivered from the confrontation of student and teacher by his jest, and several boys snickered under their breath. He highly doubted that the girl – Lia, he corrected himself again – would be so appreciative, and turned his grin on his victim, delighting in the full power her furious gaze zeroing in on him like a homing beacon, with all the trembling intensity of a wronged woman. Her hazel eyes were narrowed in vicious dislike and Jaden tried very hard not to burst out laughing, because her nose had crinkled up in her anger and it made her look almost unbearably cute, like a miffed kitten, prideful and scorned. Jaden resisted the urge to stroke the top of her head and playfully meow at her, like he would have done with his neighbour's cat back home. Lia let out a rather enraged breath of air and scowled at him more, her lips curling in obvious distaste.

'_I think I made her mad_.' He thought calmly, watching the way her hands clenched into fists. She turned her head away from his with a prideful 'hmph!, brown curls tossing lightly against the fabric of her turtleneck. Mentally, Jaden couldn't stop himself from cooing at her, because she was acting like the kitty-cat he knew, when he denied her a taste of whatever he was eating. The girl grit her teeth against the words that were obviously _begging _to be spewed at him, and faced the teacher once more.

" As I was saying, before this…" She tilted her head to the side to think of just the proper name for him, and Jaden decided he didn't care if she hated him, (it was a safe bet that she already did), he was convinced she had been a kitten in her previous life. " This…farceur de cour…" She rolled her words and her low-pitched voice dropped even lower, " interrupted me, this, sir, is a history class, correct?"

"Yes, Lia, but I don't see what this has to do with your quest-"

" Because it is a history class, we should be learning about all the history, not just the winner's history, right sir?"

" Lia," The history teacher sighed exasperatedly, " where are you going with this exactly?"

" 'Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?'" She said curtly, and her previous statement suddenly registered with Jaden.

" Lia, is there any reason _why_ you are quoting Adolf Hitler in my classroom?" The teacher asked and Lia stiffened in anger.

" Because nowhere on this outline do I see the Armenians-"

" This is a _history_ class?!" Jaden shouted in panic, cutting Lia off completely. " History as in history? As in history history?"

" What other kind of history is there, genius?" A blond in the front asked him.

Jaden felt his heart stop.

" _Duel_ History!" He shouted, a waterfall of tears streaming down his face. " How did this _happen_?! I checked off _Duel_ History, not plain old _History_! How did I end up in _this_ class!"

" Duel History is my second period class, kid." The teacher stated. " Looks like you mixed up the courses."

" Hey wait!" Jaden shouted, his heart thundering loudly in his chest. " You never finished attendance. Maybe I'm _not_ in this class!"

" We can only hope…" Lia murmured darkly.

The teacher, who had wandered over to the board and had started to write his name up, paused, and scanned down the list.

" You Jaden Yuki?" He asked.

" Yes." Jaden moaned miserably.

" Then you're in this class." The teacher nodded to him, and finished writing his name up.

" My name is Mr. Stein, but you can just call me Mr. S if you want to. I'll be your history teacher this year. For those of you Duelists who will be taking my Duel History class next period, it's in the room across the hall. Any of the Academics are free to join us if they wish. Now then, onto business. If you'll all kindly turn your attention to your course outlines, you'll see that we will be beginning with-"

" Wait, wait! How do I _fix_ this?" Jaden wailed. Beside him, Lia (she probably gut him alive if she ever found out that he was thinking of her as a kitten, but she was really cute when she was mad.) gave a twitch.

" Jaden," Mr. Stein said boredly, " calm down. This sort of thing happens all the time. A kid doesn't look at what he's checking off and ends up in the wrong class. You'll just have to go to the Chancellor's office and have your courses switched, no big deal. Just go at lunch, and you can be out of this class by tomorrow or so."

"Remerciez Dieu." Lia hissed.

"Huh?" Jaden asked, almost certain that she had just said something mean in another language.

" She said 'Thank God'" One of the girls behind him translated.

" In what language?" Her friend asked.

" French. Duh." The first girl rolled her eyes. " I'm just gonna take a stab in the dark here, but I don't think she likes you very much." The girl pointed to the fuming Lia, who scowled when he made eye contact.

" Wha?" He flinched when she glared at him. Kitten-ish as it may be, having a girl angry, particularly a girl that could glare like that, only meant bad things as far as Jaden was concerned.

" Sorry." He said, bending full at the waist like his culture demanded. He met her steely eyes. " Should I say it in Japanese? Would that make it more sincere? Because I'll do that if you want me t-"

" Shut. Up." The girl snarled, and Jaden felt the first shivers of doom go up his back.

"L-Let me make it up to you, okay?" He paused, and snapped his fingers. " How about a duel after school, okay?"

The girl looked at him eyes that may as well have been hazel coloured chips of ice and said, in a voice that distinctly reminded him of a lion's right before it roared,

" I don't duel."

And so began Jaden's acquaintanceship with Lia Shanner.

**_**

" It was one girl Jay, how bad could it have been?"

" _You_ didn't make her mad and _you_ didn't see the _face_ she made! I swear, she'll break into the dorm and stab me in my sleep!"

" You're overreacting Jay."

" You just wait! You're gonna wake up one morning and find my body full of holes on the bed! I'm gonna to end up looking like Swiss cheese, and you're gonna be sorry you didn't believe me when I told you that it would happen! And then, I'll come back as a ghost just to tell you 'I told you so!' and then I'll haunt you until you die, and we can be ghosts together, and haunt Chumley until _he_ dies!"

" Wait, why are we dying before Chumley?"

Jaden bemoaned his fate and tried to drown it in the meager lunch he was eating. The memory of furious hazel eyes immediately set his stomach churning with fear, and his appetite vanished like a candle in the wind. Both Syrus and Chumley, sensing something wrong with their usually bottomless friend, sat down next to him and began coaxing the story out.

Under the shade of one of the larger trees by the courtyard of the Academy entrance, Jaden relayed his first period disaster to his two new friends, eyes darting about for a hint of yellow that may herald the coming of his doom. Syrus and Chumley, to his eternal disappointment, were unimpressed.

" My _point_ is that I'm a dead man." He buried his head in his hands, but shot back up at the prospect of exposing the back of his neck to the enemy.

" Well, maybe you shouldn't have interrupted her like you did." Syrus scolded him." That probably really upset her."

" You don't get it." Jaden rolled onto his back and looked up at the clouds. " If you had seen her, you'da done the same thing."

" What, purposefully get her mad?" Chumley asked, incredulous.

" It's not _my_ fault Koneko-chan looks so cute when she's mad!"

" Ko-what?" An accented voice said above his head.

With a yelp, Jaden went flying into the air, twisting midway to land uncomfortably on his side. He glanced up in the direction of the voice, and for a split second, saw only a blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds before a bulk of yellow invaded his vision. Swearing colourfully in his native tongue, Jaden shot back and rammed his head painfully on the back of the tree. Groaning and rubbing the sore spot (he could actually _feel_ the bump growing), he looked up into the amused face of Bastian Misawa.

" Do I even want to know what you just said to me?" The boy asked in his accented voice, slim eyebrow raised in a quizzical manner.

" Forget _what_ he said." Chumley insisted, jaw hanging open over his considerable chin. " What _language_ did he say it in?! I didn't understand one word of that!"

" It was Japanese, if I'm not mistaken." Bastian supplied, casually seating himself on a patch of grass to the left of Syrus, who was nibbling in a mouse-like fashion on a sandwich.

" You're not." Jaden muttered, still rubbing the pounding back of his head. He rolled his eyes at Chumley's jaw as it continued to dangle from its hinges. " Did you not hear me when I introduced myself? Jaden Yuki. _Yuki_. As in _yuki_, Japanese for snow? I mean, it took all my concentration to remember to say my first name first, not last."

" Why would you say your first name last? It's your _first_ name." Syrus said, eying the sandwich with a small bit of suspicion.

" Japanese culture is different then North American culture, Syrus." Bastian answered as he lay back down on the grass, staring up at the sky in between the leaves. " That being said, what exactly happened between you and this girl I'm hearing about?"

Jaden blanched.

" It's spread _already_?" He wailed, horrified. He buried his head in his hands and mock sobbed. " I'm _dead_! I'm _beyond dead_! I'm going to be _undead_!"

" What exactly did you do?" The genius asked.

" _Nothing_!" Jaden moaned.

" He interrupted her while she was talking about something that was probably pretty important to her." Syrus explained, pulling the two pieces of bread apart to examine the contents of his sandwich.

Bastian winced.

" That's never a good idea." He scolded. " Interrupting anyone is bad, but girls tend to hold grudges. I'd watch out if I were you."

" Ah, sleeping with the proverbial 'one eye open'."

Jaden let out a very unmanly squeak and threw himself behind Bastian in a last minute act of self-preservation. Standing silhouetted by the passing sunlight, having walked up to their little spot of shade from the school entrance, but not ever breeching their private bubbles, stood the source of Jaden's anxiety and terror, neutral look on her face and single cluster of brown hair coiling around the left side of her face.

" H-Hi, Lia." Jaden tried shakily.

" Parasite." She nodded in his direction, though it might have been at Bastian.

" Ah, Ms. Ottil-"

" I stated this last night, and I really don't want to have to be force to repeat myself, Bastien," she couldn't quite keep the accent off of how she said his name, and Jaden mentally cooed, despite the trembling of his knees, " so let's make this time the last: M'appelez Lia."

" You've got a nice voice." Chumley said, staring in his usual blank manner at the new comer. The aforementioned girl tilted her head slightly to the side to nod to him.

" Merci." She stated, and continued to stare Bastian down.

" Um, well, alright Ms O-" Bastian stopped himself, " Lia."

" That wasn't overexerting yourself in any manner, now was it?" She inquired pleasantly, with just the barest hint of her fangs peeking over her forcefully curled lip. Jaden sunk down lower behind Bastian's shoulder.

" Agree with her. _Agree with her_!" He whispered urgently, some deeply ingrained male part of his subconscious sensing an approaching doom. Bastian nodded and the feeling dissipated.

Lia turned her icy gaze on him.

…

Feeling back at full force.

" I wanted to talk to you." She stated in a detached, regal manner. Jaden was suddenly conscious of feeling like he was kneeling before a queen, a fact only made more apparent by the fact that he had to crouch to remain hidden behind Bastian.

" By talk, do you mean slice my head off?" He ventured cautiously. Her snort only made him jump a little.

" I am not going to kill you, or hit you, or harm you in any way, shape, or form." She reached up and brushed the curl out of her face. " I am only going to ask that you kindly refrain from interrupting me while I am speaking unless it is a life or death situation, or you have been previous instructed to do so. I want to make one thing perfectly clear, Monsieur Yuki." He gulped, because she was starting to sound like the lion again. " I am rather offended that you saw fit to make a mockery of the subject I was attempting to pursue with the teacher, but I am quite confident that, given an adequate amount of time, I will be able to move on and interact with you, if not in an openly friendly manner, than at least in a civil one. That being said," She twisted her body abruptly, and starting to walk at a brisk pace towards the school, " don't expect me to tolerate your sleeping in class. Your snores are ridiculously distracting. If nothing else, you won't being sleeping in history class so long as you are sitting next to me."

She paused, and turned to look at the four of them.

" Good day to you all."

She strutted off, walking in swift, controlled steps that reminded both Jaden and Bastian of a cat flouncing off in a fit.

" Kitten." Jaden said out of the blue. Everyone turned to him. " Koneko-chan means kitten."

There was a processing silence that settled in over the group, until…

" Okay, will someone _please_ tell exactly _what_ I have been eating?!" Syrus snarled, and both Jaden and Chumley broke out into snickers.

**_**

Lia blinked later that evening when she happened to glance out her bedroom window (the one that faced one of the large bodies of water that surrounded the island.) and saw a boat traveling hazardously (honestly, the person inside obviously did _not_ know how to row. Neither did she, but that wasn't the point.) across the dark blue surface of the water.

Blinking, and rubbing her eyes to ensure that she was actually seeing what she thought she was seeing, she brought the camera whose lens she had been polishing up to her face and zoomed in on the figure in the boat.

'_Petit, ayant ennui avec les avirons, les…lunettes, je pense, et…les cheveux bleus__?_' Lia blinked again to make sure she had seen right through the lens. She looked again, and the pale blue of the person's hair caught the moonlight. She snapped a photo, remembering to set the flash. She put the camera down.

" C'est… étrange. Très, très étrange." She muttered, and then closed her eyes with a groan. " Speak English, cherie, _English_! You won't get any better if you don't practice!"

She cursed under her breath and returned to her camera.

She only glanced at the second boat half-an-hour later, and by the time the third boat, this one going in the opposite direction and carrying two people instead of one, went paddling steadily across the water, Lia was already sound asleep in her bed.

**_**

" And that, Sy, is why you can't believe everything you read."

" Oh, shut up!"

Jaden laughed to himself as he continued to row at a leisurely pace, grinning at his sulking blue-haired friend.

" Hey, it could've been worse!" Jaden said, trying desperately to break the sullen mood that had settled in on the small rowboat. " Yeah, _way_ worse! They, uh, they could've, um,…" He threw his mind around for something. " Um,…They could've _tortured_ you Sy!"

" They were _hot_ girls, Jay." Syrus muttered darkly. " _Hot_. _Girls_. I doubt I would've minded."

" What do their looks have to do with anything?" Jaden asked, genuinely puzzled. Syrus gave him a disbelieving look.

" Are you _kidding_ me?" He shouted, waving his arms about. " Haven't you noticed that all the girls here are _gorgeous_?!"

" The only girls I've noticed are Alexis and Lia."

Syrus deflated.

" Well, that Lia girl might not have much of a figure, but she's got a cute face, and Alexis is like a goddess!" He nodded sagely. " I guess it's okay if they're the only two you've noticed. It means you've got some taste."

He grinned slyly at Jaden.

" So which one would you date?"

"…" Jaden eyed Syrus with confused eyes. " …what does dating have to do with any of this?"

" Don't like at least _one_ of them?!" Syrus wailed.

" Sure I like them. Alexis is a great duelist, and Lia's, well…she's Koneko-chan." He shrugged. " They're both really cool in their own way."

Syrus stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.

" What?"

" You are not a teenager, Jay. You are a six-year-old in a teenager's body."

"…Huh?"

" Oh, nevermind!" Syrus pouted. " Let's just change the subject. Weren't you supposed to talk to Chancellor Sheppard about changing your History course?"

Jaden paused.

"…" His face dropped and a waterfall of tears ran down his face for the second time that day.

" _I knew I forgot something_!"

* * *

Apparently, I'm doing something wrong, because no one seems to want to read this! -Cries-. No, I'm kidding. I'll just be patient, and pray that this catches some attention. In the mean time, let's do some translations, okay?

farceur de cour - court jester (she obviously does not have a high opinion of our hero, now does she?)

M'appelez Lia - Call me Lia.

Merci - Thank you (again, I'm only translating this the once)

_Petit, ayant ennui avec les avirons, les…lunettes, je pense, et…les cheveux bleus -_ Small, having trouble with the oars, glasses, I think and...blue hair.

C'est… étrange. Très, très étrange - That's...weird. Very, very weird.

Jaden calling Lia Koneko-chan - As we all know, the Yugioh franchize has its roots (in the show at least) in Ancient Egypt. Cats were well loved in Anceient Egypt. I think it was their goddess of love, Baset (sp?) who was represented by a cat. Lia will be described as cat like for her somewhat snobby personality, and cattish tendencies, but try to guess why I use a cat to describe her, especially given the Egyptian element.

And review. If I don't get more reviews, I'll think that you don't want this story, and I might not put anymore up. (Which would be a shame, because I just finished chapter 40, and it gets waaaay more interesting.)

MoS


	3. The Punishment

Warnings: Minor (compare to later chapters) swearing, and a tiny bit of sadism on Lia's part. Oh, and Obelisks acting superior just because they can.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Jaden gave a slight whine of disappointment when his attempt to catch up on the sleep he'd missed the night before was rudely interrupted.

" I told you that you wouldn't be sleeping in class so long as you were sitting next to me." Lia said unfogivingly as she placed the water bottle (with less water in it than it had had a few seconds ago) back down onto the desk. Jaden pouted and reached up to flick the wet bangs out of his face.

" But I have an excuse today!" He whined eagerly, his grin only widening at her snort.

" Your reason _why_ really doesn't bother me." She brushed a hair out of her face. " Just keep from falling asleep in the first place."

" But I had to go save Syrus last night."

" I don't really care.

" See, he got this fake love letter that told him-"

" Didn't I just say that I _don't care_?"

"- to go to the Blue girls' dorms to meet Alexis, because the letter said she was in love with him-Wait, do you even know who Alexis is?"

" Blonde girl in blue? Sluttish uniform? Breasts about as large as my head?"

Jaden blinked at Lia's tone and wondered at the slightly bitter pitch her voice had taken.

" Well, she's blonde, and she's in the Blue dorm, but I don't know about the rest."

" Have you _seen_ their uniforms?" Lia scoffed. " Slut short skirts and tight as hell shirts that leave nothing to the imagination. I'd be shocked to hear that they can wear anything underneath those outfits." She scribbled something down on her paper (probably the date. Jaden guessed he should be taking notes as well, but he really couldn't be bothered.), but she pressed a little too hard and the lead of her mechanical pencil broke. She muttered something unflattering in French (Jaden could tell by her tone alone.) and clicked the top of the device to get more.

" Don't the other girls have uniforms for their dorms?" Jaden asked and jumped back when Lia eyed with no small killer intent and glared at him with eyes that he was pretty sure could reduce steel walls to rubble.

" Do you _really_ think someone like _me_ would be caught _dead_ in those _atrocities_?" She snarled dangerously. Jaden, very slowly (because he remember someone telling him once not to make any sudden movements when facing a pissed off wild animal, and Lia was pulling the lion aura again.) shook his head, and whimpered in terror when Lia bristled.

" And why _not_?"

Jaden gulped.

" …They don't seem like the type of things you'd like to wear?" He offered, and quickly set out to explain as her hair puffed out in her anger. " I-I mean, y-you seem l-like t-t-to like l-long sl-sleeves a-and j-jeans, y-you know?"

Lia's face lost its murderous look and she rolled her eyes.

" Congratulations, Yuki." She said sarcastically. " You get to live to see tomorrow."

" Huh?" He was only aware of the fact that he was still breathing, and that that was a good thing.

" You managed to save your skin." She underlined her title on the sheet of paper. " Point for you."

" …" He just sat there, his jaw hanging loose. It took him several minutes to conger up something to say.

" You are sadistic."

" Et fière." She added.

" What?"

" Rien."

" _What_?"

Lia sighed, and tore a sheet of paper out of her binder. She scribbled something onto the paper, another copy of the date and the title Mr. Stein had written on the board, and handed it to him.

" Nothing." She said simply. " Here."

" What's this for?"

" What do you think it's for?"

He glanced at the paper, with the date it the top left-hand corner and the title the teacher had written up on the board carefully underlined. A feeling of dread settled into his gut.

" I have an extra pencil if you really need one."

The feeling intensified as Jaden began to realize exactly _how_ Lia planned on extracting her revenge for his interruptions the previous day.

He'd been stupid to think she would merely stop at keeping him awake in class. To assume that she'd rest at such easy and conventional methods was folly. Sheer folly.

"You…You expect me to take… notes?" He squeaked.

Lia gave him a deadly smirk.

" Mais bien sur." Her smirk grew until Jaden wouldn't have been all that surprised to see yellow canary feathers dangling from her lips. " I'll look at your notes after every class, and tell you what you need to improve on. Anything you missed in class I will be happy to allow you to copy off of mine, _in your own words_ of course. Bastien is in several of your other classes. Compare your notes with him at the end of each class, and he will repeat the process." She picked up the pencil he'd dropped onto the desk upon sitting down and put it in his stunned hand. " We are going to do everything in our power to disprove the stereotype of 'Slifer Slacker' if it kills you."

Jaden may have said something, if the bottom of his jaw hadn't been resting on the tabletop.

" I'll make a scholar out of you yet." Lia concluded with a wicked grin. She eyed his blank paper as the teacher began talking.

" Well, get cracking, _mon chéri_."

The feeling of doom solidified in his stomach, and Jaden was certain he was going to die.

**_**

" You're looking distinctly worse for wear."

Jaden looked pitifully up at the pretty blonde girl who was staring down at him. In his hands he clutched at several lined sheets of paper, all full of loopy, curved writing. He whimpered as he looked at them, and Alexis had to wonder if he was all right.

" Um, are you okay?" She inquired, bending over slightly to catch a look at his face while being careful not to expose anything to some hapless passer-by who may get an eye full thanks to those damned short skirts. " I mean, I didn't wear you out last night did I?"

She paused in her concern as her brain registered what it was _exactly_ that she had just said.

" I meant the duel!" She amended a little too quickly. " I was talking about the duel! That's what I was talking about! Nothing else, okay?!"

" What are you talking about?" Jaden asked in a detached voice, and Alexis thanked the gods for short attention spans.

" I was- nothing, it was nothing." She shook her head free of any lingering thoughts and smiled at Jaden. " So what's up with you? You look depressed."

" …Four pages." Jaden muttered, and Alexis leaned in closer to hear.

" Four what?"

" Four pages." Jaden sighed and turned to her. Alexis vaguely wondered if he realized how close they were sitting, but seeing as how not even the slightest blush graced his face (as it would have with any other boy had she even decided to _talk_ to them.) she guessed he either didn't notice, or didn't care (he seemed like the kind of person who would be comfortable being close to people he considered friends).

" Four pages of what?" She pressed, and Jaden gave another little depressed moan.

" Four pages of notes." He wailed, and flung himself down onto the grass behind him. Despite herself, Alexis laughed. " She made me take notes! I've never taken notes before in my life, and today she made me take _four pages worth_! Front _and_ back!" He curled in on himself. " I can't even _feel_ my hand anymore!"

" How have you gotten by without taking notes?" Alexis asked, reaching for his sore hand. It was a little red where he'd rested his pencil, but other than that it seemed fine.

" My friends help me, and I get lucky on tests, because I'm good at multiple choice. It's short and long answer that kills me every time. What are you doing?"

Alexis looked down to see that she was still holding his aching hand, and, with a slight gasp, dropped the hand as if it had burned her. Jaden looked at her with a funny expression, but ignored her momentary strangeness in favour of cradling his injured appendage to his chest.

" Who made you take the notes?" Alexis asked, trying to cover up her blunder.

" Lia." Jaden muttered. " Something about breaking stereos, or something. I was too busy being in shock to hear her."

" That doesn't even make sense." She shook her head, and something occurred to her. " Are you sure she didn't say stereo_types_?"

" That's the word."

" What stereotype does she want to break?"

" The Slifer one.

" You mean that all Reds are slackers?"

" Yeah, that's what she said."

" Wonder why she cares so much."

" She doesn't" Jaden said with a roll of his eyes, staring up at the Academy wall the top of his head rested against. " She just wants to get back at me for interrupting her on our first day, and she knows I hate studying and taking notes, and all that, so she's gonna make me work for a few months to get back at me."

" A few months? Chéri, if I have my way, you'll graduate on the honour roll."

Jaden shot up and banged his head painfully against the wall as Alexis whipped around to look at the yellow clad girl standing over them.

" Forgive my intrusion into your tryst, Mademoiselle, but I promise my interruption will be brief." She grinned sardonically at Alexis and turned her attention to Jaden, who was once again rubbing a sore head.

" How do you _do_ that?" He gasped, eyeing her as one might eye the pit bull that has cornered them.

" Do what?" She asked innocently.

" Do that thing where you pop up out of nowhere." He explained, sitting up completely. " It's _creepy_."

" One of my many talents." Lia rolled her eyes. " I'm also quite a good shot, and I can sing."

" I can't." Alexis volunteered. Both younger students turned to look at her. " Sorry, I just wanted to be in on the conversation."

" Mignon." Lia muttered, and thrust a stack of papers into Jaden's arms. " These are the notes Bastien took from your last period. Read them, copy them into your own words, re-copy them, and then pray your luck holds out for that test thing of yours tomorrow."

" Oh, fu-" Alexis looked at him sharply. " –dge. Fudge. I was going to say fudge." He laughed nervously." I forgot that that was tomorrow. What am I gonna do?!" He threw himself back done on the grass.

" I recommend listening to the girl with the notes." Alexis smirked. " Start praying Jay."

" Oh shut up, Miss I-Don't-Need-This-Test-Because-I'm-Already-In-The-Highest-Rank!" Jaden said playfully, rolling over to stare at the grass. " I'll need a miracle to pass."

" Or an all nighter." Lia said calmly. She surveyed the two Duelists. " Well, as fun as this has been, I have classes to attend, and so do the both of you, so off I suppose we should go. Oh and Jaden." She paused and glanced back at him. " I'll take notes for you tomorrow in History, but I expect you to do well on the first test, am I perfectly clear?"

" As crystal."

She nodded and walked off. Both Jaden and Alexis watched her go, Jaden with a sorrowful expression and Alexis with thinly veiled amusement.

" I like her." Alexis said to Jaden, and allowed herself the pleasure of laughing when he called her a traitor.

**_**

As it happened, Alexis was walking back to her dorm, enjoying the breeze that blew off of the ocean, when she heard it.

" You _bitch_!"

At the sound of a familiar voice, risen in anger and shrill with fury, Alexis increased her pace and began jogging up the path next to the one that lead to her dorm. She darted past the trees and rocks to find the source of the noise in a small clearing just out of the way of the Blue Girls' dorm. Her jaw dropped appropriately.

The girl in yellow from before stood with her hands clutched protectively around something, her face contorted in fury and her eyes flashing dangerously. Across from her, looking equally as upset, was Jasmine Makita, fists clenched at her side and teeth grinding together. She took a step towards the yellow girl, snarling something darkly under her breath, and tried to force the other girl to back down. Alexis, who had seen braver girls (and boys, for that matter) back down under Jasmine's furious gaze, felt a warm flicker of pride pass through her as the girl in yellow (she couldn't for the life of her remember the name that went along with that hair and those eyes) not only didn't take a step back to put some distance between her and Jasmine, but took a step _forward_, her chin proudly jutted out.

" Unless you have something more substantial than words, _Mademoiselle_," Alexis could almost _hear_ the bite in that word, " then I suggest you let me be on my way." She turned to go, and Jasmine grabbed her arm.

" I've got something substantial!" Jasmine snarled and whipped her hand back. She brought it down in a graceful arc as the other girl stood still and awaited the blow with at least a sliver of her pride-

" Jasmine!"

Jasmine faltered and halted, her hand poised over the other girl's cheek. The redhead glanced over her shoulder to see Alexis marching over with three kinds of murder in her grey eyes. Jasmine managed to keep her body from quivering as Alexis curled her long fingers around Jasmine's exposed wrist and removed them from the general area of the Ra girl's face with one, sharp yank.

" Just _what_ do you think you're _doing_?" Alexis hissed. " What is _wrong_ with you?"

"She started it!" Jasmine muttered, and for the first time, Alexis noticed the slight redness of her friend's cheek. " She slapped me, Lex."

" _Why_ did she slap you?" Alexis found herself asking in an exasperated voice. Jasmine looked sullenly to the side.

" I dunno." She grit her teeth. " No reason."

The Ra girl snorted.

" It wasn't the best action, I'll admit to that." She stated. " But it _was_ necessary."

" Necessary my _ass_, you Academic freak!" Jasmine spat, and Alexis gave her wrist a harsh tug.

" _Jasmine_!" She forced the redhead to look at her. " That was uncalled for! She hasn't done anything to warrant you calling her a freak! And, need I remind you," Her grey eyes narrowed, " that the Academics are just as welcome here as we are." She inclined her head to look at the girl in yellow. " I apologize for my roommate. She's a little quick tempered, so please excuse her outburst-"

" She _is_ a freak, Alexis!" Jasmine snarled, twisting her hand out of the grip the blonde had on it, " She's got no friends, doesn't hang out with anybody, and all she does after school is wander around the island for no good reason! She doesn't even follow the rules about the ranks!"

" What are you…" Alexis trailed off, her eyes narrowed and hardened into flecks of flint. " What is this really about, Jasmine?"

" I…" the girl faltered, but the other one finally spoke up.

" Your friend is upset because I refused to jump up and down at the snap of her fingers." She gripped the object in her hands tighter. " I apparently offended her when I refused to hand over my camera."

She opened her hands a little and Alexis caught sight of the black camera encased in the girl's pale fingers. It was an older camera, and from what Alexis could see of the neck strap, it was worn with age and frayed at the edges. The girl seemed to notice her interest and immediately closed her fingers around the object once again, staring suspiciously at the blonde. Alexis sighed.

' _Well, isn't this a fantastic way to meet the new students._' Alexis eyed Jasmine angrily. ' _Breaking up a catfight wasn't exactly what I expected to be doing this year._'

" Do you know why Jasmine wanted your camera?" She asked, but was surprised when the girl pressed her camera more into her chest and took a step backwards.

" I honestly don't see why I have to explain myself." She snarled. Alexis had a sinking feeling that the girl was not going to be trusting any Obelisk students anytime soon. Beside her, Jasmine bristled.

" Don't' talk to Alexis like that, you non-dueling little bit-"

" _Thank_ you Jazz, but I think you've said _enough_." Alexis stressed and Jasmine fell silent. " Listen, I know there is probably no way for you to have gotten a worse impression of our dorm, but let me be perfectly honest when I say I am very sorry that my friend or any other of the Blue Dorm have given you a hard time. We tend to get swelled heads because of our rank, and we forget that just because we have the best scores, it doesn't make us the best duelists around."

" But our uniforms do." Jasmine spat as she pushed past Alexis and jerkily held out her hand. " So just give me the goddamn camera so I can get that goddamn picture and get those goddamn Slifers expelled."

Alexis' jaw dropped.

" _That's_ what this is about?!" She shouted. " Jaden and Syrus?!"

" Yeah." Jasmine said without turning around. " Turns out Banana Girl here got a picture of Syrus rowing out to our dorms last night. I figure if I can get the picture, I can make Jaden confess to having gone to the dorms by threatening to reveal that Syrus did. And when he does tell the Chancellor, then I'll just show the picture and get them both kicked out."

Alexis stared at her.

The Ra girl merely blinked.

" Et tu m'appelles une garce?" She said, incredulous.

Jasmine finally turned to look at Alexis, devious grin planted on her face.

" It's a good idea, and you know it Lex." She clenched her fist. " That'll teach those Slifers to-"

" Play the game? Win fairly? Be good duelists?" Alexis asked coldly, marching over to where the two girls stood. She gave Jasmine a furious glare before turning to the other girl.

" Once again, I apologize for her behaviour. You were perfectly right to slap her. In fact, I may end up slapping her myself." She felt a dark satisfaction at Jasmine's startled noise. " Please, feel free to remind her that wearing a Blue uniform doesn't make you any better than anyone else at any time."

" Will do." The Ra girl said with a slight smirk. " That being said, am I free to go?"

" Oh, yeah, sure. Go ahead." Alexis stepped out of the way of the path leading out of the woods. The girl started down it. " And that's a nice thing you're doing for Jaden, by the way." She stopped walking but didn't turn around. " The whole making sure he gets decent grades thing. It's nice."

Her shoulders went up, then down.

" I couldn't do it if you hadn't decided not to turn him in for being at your dorm."

" Hey, he won his freedom." Alexis smiled.

" He shouldn't have won _anything_." Jasmine muttered darkly. Alexis elbowed her without looking.

" See ya."

The girl kept walking, but raised her hand waved back. Alexis watched her disappear around a bend behind a tree with a smile on her face before she rounded on Jasmine.

" All this because I lost to Jaden?"

" He's a _Slifer_!" Jasmine said in a manner that very much resembled a whine. " You're an _Obelisk_! He shouldn't have been able to _touch_ you, let alone _beat_ you! He must've cheated, he _must've_! It's the only explanation. So, we should've turned him in, him and that whiny little brat! This school would be a better place if we had no Red Dor-"

" Crowler's done a number on you, hasn't he?" Alexis pinched the bridge of her nose to stave off the beginnings of a migraine and started walking towards the dorm.

" Well, maybe he's right! I mean," Jasmine ran to catch up, " we _are_ the best of the best! We're in Obelisk Blue, for god sakes! We _earned_ our place here!"

" Through what?" Alexis asked in a tired voice, turning up the path to the building. " By going through a snooty prep school with a bunch of other whiny brats? By playing one duel well and impressing the teachers? By answering a few questions right? So what!" She whipped around to look at Jasmine's stunned face. " We're not any better. We just got lucky that those tests asked the questions we knew the answers to, that we got an examiner we could beat, and we drew the right card we needed at the right time. Jaden beat me fair and square." She turned to go " Get the hell over it."

She had started up the stairs and was halfway up to the second story, leaving a stunned Jasmine behind her, when another thought occurred to her.

" And I want you to leave that Ra girl alone about her camera and that picture. What did you do, demand she hand it over, and expect her to comply just because you're in Obelisk?" Alexis said with a roll of her eyes and felt her gut tighten when Jasmine looked away from her scornful face. " You've got to be kidding me. Jazz, that's sick, to think that. It's actually sic-"

" Oh quit defending her Lex!" Jasmine hissed, bringing a hand up to rub the still red cheek. " She can do that well enough on her own. Besides, why are you even taking that little bitch's side anyway?"

" Don't call her that." Alexis said automatically, and was surprised to hear Jasmine's bitter laughter.

" If you don't want people to call her a bitch, you'll have to muzzle the whole campus Lex."

" What do you mean?"

" Don't you know who that girl was?" Jasmine asked in a condescending tone. Alexis turned fully to look at her. Jasmine smirked, twisting her normally pretty face into something cruel and wicked.

" That was Lia Shanner." Jasmine shrugged her shoulders in an over-the-top manner and didn't look at Alexis' darkening face.

" But everyone's taken to calling her the Wicked Bitch of Ra Yellow."

* * *

Hey, everyone!

Since those of you who reviewed were being such darlings about all of this, I decided to give you a treat and upload chapter 3 right away, just for you! Lia's getting a bit more developemnt, and I'm putting Jaden through his paces. He'll be an average student yet!

Lia: Chérie, by the time I'm done with him, he'll be a full blown scholar.

Of course he will (she aims high, doesn't she?) darling. Anywho, how about some translation?

Et fière - And proud.

Rien - Nothing.

Mais bien sur - But of course.

_mon chéri -_ My dear. (Lia will be using this a lot)

Mignon - Cute/Nice.

Et tu m'appelles une garce - And you call me a bitch? (The translator tells me that _garce_ literally translates to _bitchy girl_)

Ah, female bonding. It's a beautiful thing.

Lia: You have strange concepts of beauty.

Oh, go stand in a corner until your character needs developing. And trust me, taht won't be for a while. You're going to be an antisocial bitch for a bit before you get to thaw out.

Lia: Ah, the joys of being an OC. -looks at audience- I don't reccommend it.

Into the corner! Anyway, a little more interaction! And Lia seems to know how to get to Jaden, doesn't she? A girl after my own heart. And just to clear some things up: Lia is not a self insertion. She has some of my characteristics, but she is not me. She's distinctly more bitter and closed off to other people. While I tend to resort to extreme politeness, she tends to lash out. You'll find out why later.

And also, Lia does not speak with a French accent. I write out all my accents (yes, that means Jesse Anderson and Jim Cook will have their speech mannerism written out. That's going to be fun.) Lia speaks with a totally American accent. This will also be explained later.

Why Jasmine? Well, because she was the one who made a comment about turning the boys in after Jaden won, despite their deal. And Mindy comes off as too much of an airheaded sweetheart to make her the bitchy one.

I think that's all for now. Stay tuned for rank test, and a little adventure, tomorrow. And following that, look forward to a new chapter every Friday.

MoS


	4. The Decision

Warnings: None really for this chapter. But it's my first real divergence from the original plot. So yeah me! I was so nervous writing this part.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

"Excuse me dear, but are you alright?"

Jaden glanced up from his musings to look at the elderly, bespectacled lady behind the counter of the campus card shop. With her mousy brown hair pulled back in a braid and her glasses at crooked angle on her button-like nose, Jaden was instantly reminded of Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother, hidden away inside her sturdy cabin in the middle of the dense forest. And while Duel Academy might be far more clean and industrious and metallic than the woods in that time immortal tale, Jaden was willing to bet money that his school was just as confusing and hard to navigate as the woods that Little Red had to make her way through. With a slight grin, Jaden may his way over to the beckoning woman, vaguely wondering what that made him.

' _Am I a hungry wolf_,' He glanced down at his jacket, '_or a helpless little girl, lost in the woods_?'

He laughed at his own joke, and offered the worried looking woman a bright smile.

" I'm fine, really." He waved his hands out in front of him. " I'm just kinda stressed about a test tomorrow."

" You're a duelist then." The woman said in the kind of tone that made Jaden think of hot chocolate and kitchens that smelled of baking. He nodded. " Ah, and it's those pesky ranks tests tomorrow, isn't it?"

Jaden laughed humorlessly.

" I'm dead." He sighed. " I'm horrible at studying and I always freeze up on tests. Well," He mused, " written ones, anyway."

" I think the ranking system is just stupid." The woman said with unusual warmth. Jaden spared her a surprised look. " I mean, really, how can you judge how good a kid is based on anything but how they perform in a duel."

" But they _do_ judge us on that." Jaden insisted. The woman's smile made him feel achingly young and carefree.

" But how can they judge that?" She asked in a quiet voice. " How can they judge how much a person loves to duel? How can they judge the bond a person shares with their cards, win or lose? How can they judge the feeling a person gets when they draw _exactly_ the right card?

" Winning is all good and fair," She said a trifle coolly, " but no Obelisk I've ever met has proven to be more passionate in a duel than the Slifers, or the Ra's. Therefore, you really can't judge a person."

Jaden stared at the woman with wide brown eyes, taking her in. A little chubby, older, braid coiled over she shoulder, pink blouse and blue overalls for the uniform. Under all that, Jaden could swear he almost heard it: The heart of a duelist, beating strong and steady.

" I'm sorry." The woman flushed under his scrutiny. " I must sound so weird to you young folk."

" Not at all, Ma'am. In fact," here, Jaden sent her his most charming grin, " in fact, that was beautiful, really beautiful. You must really like dueling."

The woman laughed.

" I've worked here since the beginning, sweetie. I've seen my fair share of champions walk through these halls." She looked fondly out into the metal hallway outside her shop. " And let me just say this: Every duelist who comes to this school because they love the game will succeed. I've never met anyone, Obelisk or not, who made it out in the real world if they didn't play with their hearts in their decks."

" Heart of the cards." Jaden murmured reverently, staring out into the darkened hallway.

" Heart of the cards." The woman agreed, before a bubble of laughter erupted from her throat. " After that philosophical moment, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ms. Dorothy, owner and operator of the Duel Academy Campus Card Shop." She swung her arms out proudly around the small space. " Have you visited here before?"

" No, can't say that I have." He looked around the shop, from the posters on the walls to the glass counter with the cash register proudly sitting on it. " But I'll be sure to in the future." He stuck his hand out. " Jaden Yuki, your newest customer."

" Welcome to the fold." Ms. Dorothy laughed as she shook his hand. She had a surprisingly strong grip, Jaden noticed. He returned it in kind, and sighed again.

" You still worried?" The shop owner asked.

" Yeah," Jaden mumbled. " I just can't seem to get to sleep. So I wandered up here, hoping something would click in my head. Speaking of which," He glanced around warily, " should security have stopped me by now?"

Ms. Dorothy gave a tinkling giggle.

" Security's got nothing on my boys Freddie and Jason."

Jaden went white.

" Your boys _who_?!"

" Oh, my Rottweilers." Ms. Dorothy said with a casual wave of her hand, not noticing the relieved breath of air Jaden let out. " They're absolute angels to the people who they know well, but if a stranger comes in, Rawr!"

She made a mock leaping motion that had Jaden's heart rate increasing almost exponentially, and he clutched his hand to his chest, breathing hard. He continued to grasp at his chest until the furious pounding slowed down to a more tolerable pace. From behind the counter, Ms. Dorothy smiled at him.

" Would you like to meet them?"

Jaden had no time to ponder the question before a low whistle pierced the air and the sound of many feet scraping along the floor reached his ears. He turned slightly, just in time to see two massive black Rottweilers come racing around the corner, tongues lolling out the side of their mouths and eyes trained on him. With a yelp he darted over the counter in desperation to put something between himself and the large dogs with the large, sharp teeth heading his way. He just managed to get over it when his pant leg was caught by something. He gave a tug with his hands on the edge of the counter, and the 'something' gave a frighteningly powerful tug right back. Jaden went sailing backwards to land with a distinct 'thump' on his back. He blinked dazedly and hardly even heard Ms. Dorothy's scoldings.

" No! Bad Freddie, bad! I said no pulling!"

He mused that it was funny to hear a kid get told off like a dog, and may even have had a good laugh about it, had a rather not human face appear above his.

Jaden's eyes widened as he and the Rottweiler stared back at each other for several seconds. Jaden let out a slight 'eep', and the animal struck.

" No, no, nonononono!" He pleaded as the dog descended down on his helpless form. Jaden was fairly sure he was about to die…

…when a slippery tongue dragged across his face.

He blinked, sat up, and rubbed his now wet cheek.

" Did you just…?" He asked the panting dog in front of him. The dog looked at him, and lunged.

" Ah, no, no that tickles, no, down boy, down! Ms. Dorothy, get 'im offa me! He's heavy! Down, down!"

Jaden pushed in vain against the bulk of the Rottweiler and was quite trapped until Ms. Dorothy came over, one hand holding the collar of one of her dogs, and used her free hand to yank the second off of him. Jaden sat up panting, and wiped his face on the back of his sleeve.

" Pleasure to meet you?" He offered to the dog nearest him. It gave him a doggy smile and tried to launch itself forward again to lick him, but was restrained by Ms. Dorothy's grip on the collar.

" Jason!" She abolished. " No! Play nice with your new friend!" She shook the dog's collar a little. " Honestly, you are so rambunctious, it's scary. Isn't the right, Freddie?" She asked the other dog, who was sitting calmly at her feet. " Isn't your brother rambunctious?"

" How can you tell which is which?" Jaden asked, looking for dog to dog in confusion.

" You see this calm, good boy here?" Ms. Dorothy motioned to the dog at her feet. " This is Freddie. He's generally the calmer of the two. Jason is the one who has his tongue out most of the time." She hoisted the collar of the dog closer to him a little bit, and then let it drop. " He's very friendly, but I've never seen him take to anyone so fast. He usually needs me to introduce him to people before he acts like that."

" Maybe I'm just a dog person." Jaden grinned as he hauled himself up off the floor. He leaned down with a grin and stroked Jason's head. The dog gave a delighted whine, and struggled against the grip on his collar holding him back. Noticing that Jason was getting all the attention, Freddie let out a pitiful whine, and before he knew it, Jaden was petting both the dog's heads.

" They really seem to like you." Ms. Dorothy said it surprise. " Even Freddie, and he's never very sociable, not even with the girls who work in the shop with me."

" Maybe he just knows I'm a good guy." Jaden said easily, leaning over to scratch the belly Freddie had presented to him while rubbing Jason behind the ears. " They're both really cute, Ms. Dorothy. Thanks for letting me meet them."

" Oh, no problem dear. Feel free to come to the shop to visit them anytime. I'll let you out back where they usually are."

" Thanks." Jaden said with a soft smile as he pulled away from the protesting animals. " I think I'll head back to my dorm now, try to get some sleep or something."

" Of course dear, you go straight to bed when you get home."

" Okay, Ms. Dorothy."

As he walked out of the school, Jaden felt that the warm feeling of completion in his body was what Little Red Riding Hood must've felt when she successfully delivered the basket to her grandmother.

**_**

The next day was a bit of a let down, as far as Lia was concerned.

The school has been abuzz with all the anxiety and terror warranted by the up coming ranking test. Lia has listened to the Duelist students go on and _on_ about doing well and going up a rank and while she could appreciate the need for success in any given environment, the fervor with which the Duelist students attached and define themselves to and by the ranking system was, in Lia's opinion, borderline pathetic.

She had five out of her eight classes with Duelists sitting in the classroom next to, behind, or in front of her (the three notable exceptions to there being any Duelists in class were math, photography, and media studies), and had spent all of yesterday gripping about the upcoming test.

Lia was surprised to discover that the school board was willing to authorize a chance for students to advance into higher dorms so soon after having placed them in their current positions. But then it struck Lia as to _why_ exactly it was a strategic move, and, if she hadn't found she hated that she-male Dr. Crowler, in all his favouritist glory, she may have even allowed herself to be impressed.

To dangle hope in front of so many people so early on was as brilliant as it was cruel. Excluding the ones who had actually managed to make it into the Obelisk Blue dorm on the first go (and there weren't too many; she'd checked), almost every other student was more than ready for a promotion. The Ra's would be delighted to be able to move up to Obelisk, and any Slifer would give their left hand and eye to get out of the apparently rat-infested dorm they were expected to live in (Lia wondered if she could bring up the blatant favouritism with some sort of committee or board or something, until she remembered what the dorms were named after – even as an Academic, she knew _that much_. She'd have to be clinically insane not to- and which of those three mythic cards had belong to Monsieur Kaiba, the pompous jerk). As it was, Lia supposed that dropping this tidbit in front of hopeful Duelists was absolutely brilliant.

Because honestly, they'd all been at Duel Academy a grand total of three days, four if one were to count the free day the Duelists got to explore the island while the Academics were rounded up from their respective homelands, set on a plane, and shipped out to the island. No one was going to advance. No one except the extremely lucky, or the extremely talented, and the chances that they were even up for a promotion was something Lia was highly skeptical of. The truth of the matter was that this test was nothing more than a scam to give the people hope and placate some of the louder whiners about their ranking with the idea that they could get rid of it so quickly after it had been assigned. Lia snorted to herself as she slipped the white turtleneck over her brown head, and set to try to tame her wild and frizzy curls.

" Just my luck." She murmured, becoming more accustomed to the English language. " We had to be on a _tropical_ island in the middle of nowhere where my hair is all too happy to frizz up!"

She applied more spray and tried to flatten a particularly bushy spot to the top of her head, only to have it pop back up as if it were possessed.

" Oh, l'oubliez!" She hissed, and reached for her yellow jacket. Slipping it over she shoulders, she regarded herself in the mirror. A depressed sigh escaped her before she could stop it.

" Quit comparing yourself to those Obelisk girls!" She hissed at her reflection. " You look nothing like them, you have your own good points, and your own strengths and, merde, I sound like an after school special from the '50's!"

She stalked away from the mirror and slung her messenger bag over her shoulder, mentally going over her schedule for the day while ruffling through her bag. She paused as her fingers brushed over the cool glass of her camera lens.

" _Just hand the camera over!"_

" _Look, I'm in Obelisk Blue, so when I say jump, you say how high, got it?!"_

" _Who the __**hell**__ do you think you are, talking to me like that?! I'm in-"_

" Obelisk Blue, you made that quite clear." Lia muttered as she shoved the camera deeper into her bag. She usually left it in her top desk drawer, but she wouldn't put it past that Blue girl, whatever her name was, to seduce her way into Lia's room and break into her things, looking for the camera.

" I was gonna destroy that photo anyway, once I developed this roll." Lia said with a smirk to no one in particular. " But now, I'm gonna do it just to rub it in your face, ma chérie."

Feeling distinctly better, Lia walked out of her room, locked the door, zipped her bag shut, and proceeded to her first period history class.

It wasn't until midway through the class that she realized that Jaden Yuki wasn't there.

It took her that long to realize the quiet in the space beside her. There were no snores, no moans about how long the class was taking, not even the scribble of his mechanical pencil on the paper she'd given to him, and forced him to take notes on. Instead, there was the absolute, dead silence that grated surprisingly on her nerves, until she placed the source of the missing noise.

And that source was Jaden Yuki.

" Where…?" She muttered to herself as she eyed the seat next to her.

" He may be a loud mouth, but I hope he does well on his test."

Lia looked up to see the blonde behind her eyeing the empty seat with a certain fondness in her gaze. Her friend, the ditzy brunette with her dark red roots beginning to show, looked at her, puzzled.

" What'd'ya mean?"

" The ranking tests are today." The blonde, whom Lia remembered was called Jessica, answered with a roll of her green eyes. Lia envied the girl's calm attitude about the fact that Jaden was currently out in a test environment that couldn't be understood by any Academic student. The fact that she had no control over the aforementioned environment made her shudder way down into her sneakers. She hated being out of control in any situation, be they her strengths or not. As it was, she felt slightly perturbed that Jessica could so easily discuss the ranking tests, and could, with little to no thought, throw out there that Lia's greatest project was currently engaged in them.

" Jaden's probably taking his written test right now, and then he'll be off to the field test." Jessica explained, and upon seeing the confused face her friend (Mariam, Lia recalled) was making, hastened to elaborate. " It means they duel each other to try and advance to the next rank. That's why the Blue students don't generally get involved. They're as high as they can go."

Lia couldn't help it. She snorted.

Jessica turned to her, and gave her a look.

" I'm sorry." Lia said, still snickering, but discretely. " It was just the way you worded that last sentence."

Jessica paused, caught the joke, and giggled into her hand.

" Y-Yeah, that _might_ not have been the best way to put it." She flicked a strand of blonde from her face and looked directly at Lia. " So are you gonna go and watch Jaden duel?"

" Why would I?" Lia asked, genuinely surprised at the question. It had never occurred to her to go and watch Jaden, or any other Duelist, duel. She had, after all, no interest in the sport that had at least half the population of Duel Academy in its grip. The thought of going to watch a duel, any duel, never even crossed her mind before Jessica's question.

" Because he's your friend." Jessica answered in a 'duh!' sort of tone.

Lia scoffed.

" He's not my friend."

" But you're helping him with his grades and making sure he studies and stuff." Jessica countered.

" It's a little experiment on my part." Lia said with a shrug. " I'm trying to see if the damage done by the Labeling Theory can be undone, given the proper motivation and circumstances."

" The what Theory?" Mariam butted in, eyes darting back and forth between the two girls.

" Labeling Theory." Lia explained. " It's the theory that the responses and reactions of the authority figures in a case of deviation are what determine how the perpetrator will turn out. If the punishment on a first-case offense is too strict, then the person will become a self-fulfilling prophecy and become exactly what the authority figure expects them to be."

Mariam looked at her blankly.

" Call a Slifer a slacker enough times, and they'll become a slacker because no one thinks they can be anything else." Jessica dumbed down as she popped a piece of gum into her mouth. She offered the pack to Mariam, who took one, and to Lia, who liked mint, not citrus, and declined. " You're trying to prove Dr. Crowler wrong, aren't you?"

" If I get enough evidence, I can rub it in his face that he's the reason behind so many of the Slifers flunking their classes." Lia smirked. " It'll be worth all the effort I go through just to see the look on his face."

"You really _are_ a bitch." Jessica said, with a twinge of admiration seeping into her tone. " It's cool though. I think getting one up on Crowler is the goal of everyone not in Obelisk Blue."

" It may be the goal of a few _in_ Obelisk Blue." Lia muttered, thinking of the blonde from last night who'd helped her.

" You say something?"

" No, nothing." Lia shook her head. " Are _you_ going to go watch the duels?"

" Yeah, they start third period, in the main arena." Jessica grinned. " It'll mean sneaking out of art, but hey, it's only the third day, no one'll be assigning a project _this_ early on." She said with a smirk and looked down at Lia. " So will Her Bitchyness be gracing us with her presence?"

Lia resisted the urge to bare her fangs at the girl, and placated herself with merely rolling her eyes at the girl's attempt at humour.

" That's her _Royal_ Bitchyness to you, commoner." She stated in a dead serious manner. Jessica's eyes bugged out.

" Did you just make a joke?"

" Yes." Lia shook her head at the girl's surprise. " Contrary to popular belief, I _am_ capable of humour when the mood strikes me. You just happened to be around when the mood struck. Congratulations."

Jessica snapped her jaw shut and regarded her. Presently, a slow smile stretched across her face.

" You're okay, Ms. Bitch. You're really okay."

" I wasn't aware that I required your approval, but thank you nonetheless."

Jessica laughed.

" You even _sound_ like you should be royalty." The blonde nodded to herself. " Meet me by the south entrance to the campus card shop if you wanna come see the duels with us. You know the place I'm talking about?"

" I applied to work there on weekends." Lia said with a single, affirmative nod. " Yes, I know where you mean."

" It'll be fun. You can see your project in action."

It was probably that line that convinced her. She was all ready to decline and go back to the reading the teacher had assigned them to do when Jessica pointed out the undeniable fact: she'd never seen Jaden in his natural environment. She only ever saw him either in class (which was her domain), or just barely afterwards, where he was still worn out for all the scholastic things she forced on him. She'd only ever gotten the chance to see him as the stereotype she was trying to disprove.

But she'd never seen him in his element, never once seen him in the place where he reigned and ruled supreme. She'd never looked at him when he was doing what he loved, in _his_ domain, not hers, and the shock of it left a weird tingle down her spine.

' _Might be good to get some proof that he is capable of excelling when he is encouraged to put his mind to it_.'

So Lia Shanner snuck out of her third period photography class with minimal ease, and arrived, camera clutched in her hands, at the south entrance to the campus card shop, waiting for Jessica to arrive so that they could go. She checked the camera one last time to ensure that she could get several shots of the Jaden in the middle of his duel. She was in the process of focusing the zoom in on the opposite wall when a blue puffball ran across the line of her sight. She blinked and looked again.

The puffball was still there.

Lowering the camera, she was only slightly surprised to find that Jaden's blue haired friend was standing in the middle of the hallway, darting his head back and forth so that his baby blue locks swished back and forth. She might have been willing to let him be, had her mother's etiquette lessons not kicked in.

" Are you all right?"

The boy jumped with a yelp, and stopped flicking his head back and forth to look directly at her. A puzzled expression filled his face before it snapped to attention with recognition.

" You! Um… uh, …Sarcastic Girl!" Lia raised one of her eyebrows. " You haven't see Jaden around, have you?"

" No." She said slowly. " Was I supposed to have?"

" His duel starts in a few minutes!" The boys wailed, and something cold settled into Lia's stomach.

" Is there a problem?" She asked calmly, belying the churning of her midsection.

" Yes!" The boy shrieked at pitches Lia didn't think males were allowed to reach.

" It's almost time for his duel, and Jaden's missing!"

* * *

Dun dun duuuuuuuun! Did I just leave you on a terrible cliffhanger? Why yes, yes I did. Am I making oyu wait until next Friday to see what's going to happen? Why yes, yes I am. Am I a bitch like that?

Lia: Yes, yes you are.

Not now, Lia.

As you can see hear, Lia is starting to feel some real affection and attachment to Jaden, whether she admits it or not. I think the little idiot just has that effect on people. But that's why we love you, Jaden. It's impossible to hate you.

Jaden: Yeah!

Lia: Just where the HELL have you been? You've got that little blue haired pipsqueak freaking out, and he refuses to leave me in peace!

Jaden: ...Run away!

Lia: Hey! HEY! Get back here! -chases after him- I said get BACK HERE!

-Watches as they disappear- That isn't going to end well. Anywho, there don't seem to be any translations- oh wait, here's one!

l'oubliez - Forget it.

And now, a look at what happened in this chapter.

Jessica and Mariam - Note the letters their names begin with. One is a ditz, and the other has a shrewd intellignce. See if you can guess why they're like this.

Lia and her camera - That's going to come up. A lot. Lia is attacned to photography because she is always the watcher, but never participating in anything. She likes landscapes (although you will see that she likes to have at least one person on that landscape) because they are inanimate, and we're getting the feeling that Lia doesn' interact well with others. she uses her camera as something of a buffer. She likes to see the picture, but she has a hard time intergrating herself into it. Li will be very attached to her camera. It is, in essence, her window to the world outside of herself, and her only means of real communication with that world. One of the things you should look for is Lia being in a photo. This is very significant. She has to be comfortable being a part of the picture before she will allow herself to be photographed. Also pay attention to who is in the photos she takes. Lia won't jsut photograph anyone, after all.

Freddie and Jason - ...I could resist, I just _couldn't_.

...the heart of a duelist. - I know Ms. Dorothy can't duel. But no one ever said she didn't admire the game. I don't figure skate. Doesn't mean I don't like watching it.

I think that's about it. Until next Friday.

MoS


	5. The Complication

Warnings: Going away from the original plot, a few bad puns, and some character development (however minor) for Lia and Syrus. (God, I love writing that guy.)

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Syrus Trusedale was, quite possibly, one of the most nervous young men at Duel Academy. Being forced to live up to the standard set by his older, stronger, cooler, and all around _better_ (Syrus' opinion of himself was almost pathetic it was so low) brother was something that had contributed to his nervous streak. Had Zane been more of a helpful older brother, had he been a little bit kinder, a little bit more thoughtful, and a little less of a believer in 'tough love', Syrus may have turned out more confident and not so prone to taking fits of trembling and self doubt. But Zane only saw the little brother who needed to be toughened up if he was expected to survive in the real world (in effect, _Zane's_ world), and so set out to make his brother a little bit stronger. Due to Zane's outlook, and Syrus' own inherited fear of trying something new (from a great-uncle on their mother's side), the plan of Zane's had only had the dismal effect of making Syrus even more afraid, even more introverted, and, to his brother's horror, even more self hating.

Then Jaden Yuki had offered his hand to Syrus, and the world had suddenly had light again. Because Jaden wasn't the type to judge, wasn't the type to put Syrus down for being a bit of a coward. Best of all, Jaden didn't even know who Zane was, and therefore wouldn't be likely to make that hated and common comparison. Jaden was simply as he presented himself to the masses; a simple-minded boy with a cute smile, who loved the game of Duel Monsters and had an almost unholy (or Yuugi Motou-esque) talent for drawing the exact card he needed at the exact moment he needed it (Seto Kaiba would call it either cheating, or extreme luck. Others of stronger faith would call it believing in the heart of the cards. Jaden was one of those others, Bastian called it luck, and Lia, when she was to be introduced to the concept, would stun everyone when she would tell a skeptical Bastian that there were some things in the world that could never be explained, and were never meant to be, and the heart of the cards was undoubtedly one of them).

But all Syrus knew at the time was that Jaden was slowly reminding him of _why_ he loved Duel Monsters, and why that love had absolutely nothing to do with his big brother, and everything to do with his own choices and his own feelings. It would be a long time before the process would be complete, but it was a start, and with it, Syrus had decided that Jaden was his best friend, and he would walk through fire for the other boy.

So when the sarcastic Ra girl (Syrus could barely remember his own name in his panic, let alone hers) asked him what was wrong, the flood gate of worry and fear that Jaden might get kicked out, and then he'd be all alone again, burst open with a furious roar. He shouted at the girl in blind fear and wailed and pleaded and predicted both his and Jaden's doom for all the world to hear. He ranted and raved until he felt short of breath and began panting, but continued on in his screaming until the girl decided she'd had enough.

SMACK.

Syrus reeled back from the blow, and gently brought a hand up to touch his stinging cheek. He winced as he felt the abused skin and turned watery, confused eyes on the calm girl in yellow.

" You were beginning to hyperventilate." She stated in a bored voice. " You were about two seconds away from becoming hysterical and that wasn't going to help anybody, myself, Jaden or you."

" Did you have to hit so hard?" He asked in small voice. The girl sighed.

" You'll be fine. You won't die from a slap." She crouched down to be on eye level with him. " Now tell me what's going on. Where is Jaden?"

" We don't know!" Syrus wailed again, but curved his panicked rant when the girl's eyes hardened. " Sorry. I'm just scared he'll get kicked out. And then…then…I'll…" He trailed off and didn't notice the girl leaning forward to hear the end of his statement.

" …I'll be alone again."

Syrus was looking at the floor, and didn't see her eyes widen or her fist clench at her side. He didn't see the flicker pass through her eyes, or the curve of her lips turn downwards. He didn't see her hand clench and unclench as she tried to rein some level of control over something that struck a cord in her, because his head was turned down. Instead, all he felt was the hand on his shoulder, and when he looked up at her face, she was the commanding presence that had curtly told Jaden he wouldn't be sleeping if he sat next to her that Syrus remembered from the first day.

" So he has to do this 'duel test' thing soon, and you can't find him anywhere?" She asked slowly, and Syrus grappled with his cowardly instinct to cry and give the entire expenditure up for lost.

" Nowhere." He sniffed. " It's like he's vanished."

" Where did you last see him?"

" Just outside the classroom. He'd…" Syrus sniffed again. " He'd g-gotten there early, he was even up before I was. He said he'd had trouble sl-sleeping last night, and he-he had somewhere to go this morning. And then he left. He made it to the written exam o-on time, and he w-was actually awake for the whole thing!" Here Syrus offered her a bright, albeit wet, smile. " L-Looks like you're rubbing off on him. A-anyway, he said he had something to check on, while everyone was checking out the new rare cards,"

" Was that what that rush during second period was all about?" She murmured. " I almost got trampled on my way to the bathroom."

Syrus giggled at the image of the dignified girl in front of him diving to the side to avoid a mass of card obsessed students.

The girl shook her head, probably to rid it of unpleasant images.

" So what happened after that?"

" E-Everyone was going to the _east_ entrance of the card shop, but Jay went to the _west_ entrance, past all the people trying to get to the cards. He turned back and said he just needed to talk to someone, and I haven't seen him since." Syrus felt tears flow out of his eyes and, in a fit of the terror that the thought of losing Jaden induced, flung himself against the girl's thin form, sobbing openly into her yellow covered shoulder. The girl gave a startled shout and tumbled backwards, her back connecting with the wall as Syrus pressed deeper into her warm shoulder, crying heavily and remaining blissfully unaware of the panicked state of the girl he was cuddled up to.

" Whoa, whoa, _whoa_!" She shouted. "Ce qui sont toi faisant?! Arrêtez-le! Immédiatement! Je suis sérieuse! Arrêtez-le!" She shoved on the arm he had wrapped around her middle from when he'd launched at her. " Ne me touchez pas! Je crierai viol! Je le ferai!" She gave one last shove, and Syrus came loose. "Descendez de moi, immédiatement!"

Syrus looked up and realized exactly what it was that he had done. With an embarrassed squeak he threw himself off the girl with a force equal to that he had used to attach himself to her.

" I'm sorry!" He gasped, his face red. " I-I didn't m-mean to…I just got upset…I'm sorry…I-I…oh man, my mom would have my _head_ if she knew I did that!"

" J'aurai votre tête, si vous n' êtes pas soigneux!" The girl hissed in a dangerous voice. Syrus looked at her, with her brown curls in disarray and her cheeks pinked with some vague notion of insulted womanhood or something, and he had to bite his lip to keep from smiling, despite the glower she gave him.

'_Jay's right_.' He mentally agreed, watching her try to fix her hair. ' _She __**is**__ kinda like a cat_.'

The girl batted at a strand that refused to stay down on her head, and Syrus fought to keep from laughing.

" What the _hell_ is going on out here?!"

Both teenagers looked up to see a young woman in the card shop uniform, her long brown hair pulled into a low ponytail and a grim expression set onto her young face. She eyed them both with a suspicious air and paced out of the card shop doorway.

" I can hear you both from inside!" She snarled severely. " What could possibly make you two make such a racket? Lia!" She rounded on the girl, and Syrus remembered that Bastian had called her that as well. " I expected this from some of the younger boys, but you?! Honestly, you've got more class than that! Why were you hollering out her like some pervert had sunk into the girls' change room?"

" Getting glomped on for no apparent reason!" Lia snarled, trying to straighten her rumpled clothing. " He just threw himself at me to use me as a comfort zone or something!" She pointed at Syrus and huffed. " I was just trying to help him with his missing friend, and he just leaps at me-"

" I'm _really_ sorry for that!"

" Wait, wait." The older girl interrupted them. " Missing friend?"

" Yeah!" Syrus piped up. " My pal Jay's gone missing, and it's his turn to duel soon! If he misses it, he could be _expelled_!"

The girl in the uniform paused, tapping her index finger against her chin.

" Brown hair, kinda orange-ish on the top?" She asked. " Slifer red jacket, brown eyes, really big smile?"

" That's Jay alright!" Syrus rushed forward. " Have you seen him?"

" He came in here a little while ago, looking for Ms. Dorothy."

" Did he find her?" Lia asked, something strained in her tone.

The other girl shook her head.

" Ms. Dorothy went to go get a delivery of regular cards during the written test, but she never came back. When I told that to the boy, he got this worried look on his face, and ran for the nearest exit."

Syrus turned to Lia slowly to see she was looking at him with the same expression on her face.

" You don't think…" she started.

" Jay's a good guy. He'd probably…" Syrus began.

" Have gone to look for her." Lia finished with a groan. " Merde! Je le tuerai!"

" I'd've gone to look myself, but someone needs to stay at the card shop." The other girl explained.

" Thanks for the information, Sadie." Lia muttered, and abruptly began pacing, murmuring under her breath in what Syrus assumed to be French. She made two full turns before she halted, and looked him dead in the eye.

" Is there anybody else who might be willing to go looking for Jaden that you can think of off the top of your head?" She asked, a trifle urgently.

" Sure. Bastian and Alexis probably will." He said, and Lia nodded as she started pacing again.

" Go get them for me, okay?"

" Sure!"

He took off towards the main arena where'd he left the others, and as he rounded the bend, he distinctly heard Lia say, in answer to Sadie's question about what she was doing:

" At the risk of sounding like a cheesy sitcom, I have a plan."

**_**

Lia kept her head in a crisis.

She was well aware that if she panicked, or allowed anyone else to panic, then whatever was trying to be accomplished would fail, and they would all be poorer for it. So she forced herself to be a level head and not give into the beginnings of hysteria that even she was prone to if the situation was severe enough. Given that she had spent several years with her mother in the tombs of people who had been slaughtered in massive numbers by their government, which had been located (not always, but enough times) in caves and caverns, on rickety passes through sheer cliffs and dangerous rocks, Lia had learned at a young age not to get scared easy, and she would be allowed to come with her mother and help uncover secrets that the world had forgotten.

When she'd heard that Jaden was missing, it was the closest to panicking she'd coming in a long time. Her heart had skipped the proverbial beat and she had felt like the air had been kicked out of her lungs with violent force. Something cold had settled in on her stomach and been churned up and down as she tried to calm it. It was stupid, she knew that much, but she was actually scared for the boy.

' _I've already started the experiment, all that data will be useless if he gets kicked out_!' She railed furiously in her mind as she paced, trying desperately to think of something that could undo this. ' _I could start it with someone else, true, but I've already got him going, and I don't want to have to bother connecting with anyone else_. _He's willing to listen to me, and I am NOT going to let something as stupid as this 'rank test' screw over my attempt at psychoanalysis_!' She paused in her musings. ' _I've started to think in English. That's one good thing about today._'

She sighed. There must be someway to get Jaden back to the Academy in time for him to have his 'duel test' thing. But if what the short blue haired boy had said was true, then she and whoever else agreed to help would only have _minutes_ to scour the path he'd taken to find Ms. Dorothy and get him back to the arena on time. They needed more time and that was the only fact she really knew for sure.

She'd already sent What's-his-name with the sobbing to get help, but chances were that the 'help' would only consist of two more people. That would be enough to go and find him in the time allotted to them, by the boy's count. In fact, the time spent _getting_ the two other people was eating away at their time as it was.

" You really want to help him, don't you?" Sadie asked with a fond smile as Lia passed by her for a sixth time.

" I don't want my experiment with the Labeling Theory to fail." She muttered as she turned sharply once again. " I want to show my mother that I can be just as good as her in any of the social sciences."

" You _say_ this is about showing your mom you're capable, but you _know_ you just wanna help that kid because he's a sweetheart, and you've got a soft spot for a guy with a cute smile."

" His smile is annoying, he's too loud, and he sleeps in class." Lia said flatly, still pacing. " He is, quite possibly, the most annoying person I've ever met, but that doesn't mean I won't help when he's the victim."

" Huh?"

" Oh, be reasonable." An accented voice cut through the air, and Lia breathed a little sigh of relief as Bastian rounded the corner.

" I just found out that Crowler arranged for Jaden to duel Chazz for his exam." Lia blinked, her face blank. " Chazz is in Obelisk Blue. As a Slifer Red, Jaden shouldn't even see the end of Chazz's jacket, let alone duel him."

"Docteur Crowler is trying to get him kicked out." Lia hissed, turning abruptly on her heel and beginning to pace anew.

" Crowler's had it in for Jaden ever since he beat him for his entrance duel." Alexis explained as she jogged round the corner, Syrus beside her. " Just in case you didn't know that."

" I didn't, in fact." Lia said as she turned again, her French accent slipping into her voice, and lowering her tone about half an octave. " With Crowler being the way he is, he'd be furious a 'Slacker' beat him."

" Crowler is proud, you can give him that." Alexis nodded, as she watched Lia pace with mild interest.

" I'd rather give him the finger." Lia snarled. " He's also got this thing against the non-dueling students. He favours Duelists over Academics, and Blues over any other colour. No offense. " She shot Alexis a look.

" None taken." The blonde said with a wry smile. " So what's the plan?"

" I think Syrus and Bastian should go looking for Jaden." She glanced over at the two boys. " Ask Sadie," she inclined her head to other brunette, " about the route Mademoiselle Dorothy was supposed to take."

" Why them?" Alexis asked, and Lia let a tired smile reach her lips.

" Because we couldn't sneak anywhere with you, you're too famous on campus, and right now, I'm skipping class." Lia shook her head. " If I want to establish any kind of good-girl reputation, I can't get caught here." She laughed to herself.

" Besides, if I get busted, it sure as hell won't be this early."

She turned back to them, not noticing that Bastian was looking slightly scandalized and Alexis had a knowing grin on her face.

" So, you two." She indicated to the two boys. " Get going."

Both boys nodded and Bastian glanced over at Sadie. The brunette pointed towards the nearest door and tilted her head. Bastian nodded in thanks, grabbed Syrus' arm and with a tug they were out the door, and Lia smirked to herself when she heard a " Syrus, hurry up!".

" So, what do we do?" Alexis asked, her eyes darting back and forth as if she was looking for something. Probably teachers.

" We stall for time." Lia sighed. " And I have no clue how we're going to pull that off-"

A loud barking cut her off, and Sadie hurried inside, alternating between shushing the dogs and looking for their kibble. Lia stood very still and stared at the entranceway the working girl had disappeared into, and thoughtful look on her normally blank face.

Presently, that look melted into a devious smile.

" What?" Alexis asked, staring at the smile that was eerily reminding her of the one the Grinch wore when he got his plan to steal Christmas in her favourite Dr. Seuss book.

" Who let the dogs out?" Lia smirked and walked forward, yanking a bag of kibble down from the shelf as she passed it, and poured some into her hands.

" Who let the dogs out indeed?"

**_**

" Oh god!"

Alexis went tumbling down the stairs where Crowler stood finalizing his deal with Chazz and she crashed right into him, sending them both rolling down the staircase.

Alexis landed on her side, gripping her leg as it apparently throbbed in pain. She grit her teeth as stars danced before her vision, and she gallantly tried to haul herself back up onto her feet, but a sharp stab of discomfort on the back of her knee had her sprawled back down on the ground, her hand flailing out to grab anything to steady herself with. It found a still dizzy, but standing, Dr. Crowler. Her hand coiled around the fabric of the black suit he was wearing over his usually blue robes with the pink frills, and gave a sharp yank that sent him right back down. His head connected with the foot of the stairs with a crack and he let out a pained groan that all but drowned out Alexis' one.

" Are you alright?" Chazz shouted in horror as he darted up.

" Oh, I'm fine, thank you, just a bit dizzy." Crowler answered, hand nursing the bump on his head.

" Not you!" Chazz snarled as he skidded to a stop and fell to his knees next to the downed girl. Gently, he slipped his arms under her body and elevated her so that she could rest her supposedly aching head against his shoulder. He did it with such tenderness and care that Alexis almost felt bad for what was about to happen.

" You okay, babe?"

' …_What did he just call me_?'

Alexis grit her teeth and resisted the urge to slap the boy senseless for calling her such an offensive name by picturing his face when Jaden beat him in the up-coming duel.

' _Just remember that_.' She coached herself as she forced her body to lean into Chazz's. Her efforts were rewarded with a full flush on his normally pale face. ' _That's right, try to protect me. Pull me a little closer, Romeo_.' Neither Chazz, nor Crowler, who had scrambled up to check on his prized student, noticed her reaching into her side pocket and shifting several small, gritty spheres in the palm of her suddenly sweaty hand.

" I'm…I'm fine." She murmured, keeping her voice low and breathy. The flush went brighter. If she was perfectly honest with herself, it was almost too easy. " I just…Just a spill on the stairs, that's all."

She clutched the fabric of his chest, directly over his racing heart, and pushed herself up a little, more, letting a slight moan of pain escape her as she 'failed' in her attempt to right herself and ended up pressed even closer to the now bright red Chazz. Unnoticed by both the teacher and student, her opposite hand slipped over the front pocket of Chazz's dark grey pants, hidden by the angle of her body. She dropped a few of the objects in her hand into the open pocket. With extreme concentration, she shifted her body so that she was hugging Chazz as she slipped the rest of the gritty little things into the space in between the indigo jacket that marked him as an Obelisk, and the dark shirt he wore under it.

As the last little ball disappear into the creases in the fabric, Alexis, placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed herself back up onto her feet, wobbling slightly.

" Sorry about that Chazz." She apologized through her teeth, taking note of his daze look and flushed cheeks.

' _You enjoyed it, you little prick_.' She inwardly huffed, and braced herself for the next little bit.

With another wobble for good measure, and a shocked look on her face, Alexis went careening backwards into Crowler, her one hand slipping behind his neck. In a split second, the gritty balls she'd slipped out of her pocket while getting up were let loose in the crushed pink frills of the man's regular clothing, hidden just under his black outfit. She allowed the man to catch her before she slammed into the floor for a third time. Leaning against his shoulder, she let him lower her to a kneeling position.

" Alexis, my dear, are you alright?"

' _No points for creativity_.' Alexis mused as she discreetly wiped her fingers on her skirt. Noticing Chazz's immediate attention, she sucked in her breath and let the end of her miniskirt ride up just the slightest on her thigh. Chazz's attention was drawn like a magnet to the exposed skin, and Alexis breathed deep to keep the scowl from showing up on her features.

" What on Earth happened?" Crowler cooed over her.

' _I fell down the stairs, genius_.'

" You're usually so graceful." The man blinked, and his already ugly features twisted into an even uglier snarl. " Did someone push you?! Is that it?! Is that what happened?!" He stood up and began pacing furiously. " I'll bet it was one of those Slifer Slackers, jealous of you! Or maybe it was one of those damn Academics! I've always said they had no place here, at a school for dueling-"

" I tripped sir, that's all." Alexis managed out through clenched teeth. " It happens. Now, if one of you could-"

But what exactly either of them could do was cut off by a low growling noise. All three looked up as one to see two huge Rottweilers, their fangs bared, and the slightest bit of drool oozing out of their mouths.

Chazz gave a small 'eep', and slowly backed away, Crowler following him not a moment later. Alexis took a deep breath, quietly edged her way back towards the stairs, eyeing the dogs as if they were the bringers of the Apocalypse.

The dogs started to walk forward.

Alexis reached the stairs, and hauled herself up onto the first one just as Chazz muttered, " Screw it!" and started running, Crowler following him.

The dogs gave chase, and Alexis ducked and covered her head as one leapt right over her huddle form.

She lay there for a while, until the sound of barking died down, and the sound of a girl's laughter reached her ears.

" You're brilliant." Lia said, offering her a hand up. Alexis grabbed it, and she was pulled to her feet. " I mean, really brilliant." She leaned against the railing of the staircase and laughed.

It was, Alexis decided, a sort of pleasant sound, with the girl's rolling voice.

" I managed to get a picture of their faces when the Boys lunged at them." Lia said once she'd managed to calm down. " Remind me to get you a copy once I develop this roll."

" Sure." Alexis agreed with a smile, and cast a glance in the direction the two had run off in, chased by the dogs. " How long do you think the dogs'll keep them occupied?"

Lia's smirk was only slightly vindictive.

" All day, if we let them."

**_**

Lia finished feeding Jason his treat and stroked his head once more before she darted away from the dog houses behind the card shop and ran out front where Alexis was waiting. The two shared a smirk, slapped high fives, and ran over to the main dueling arena.

Alexis shot down the aisle and placed herself down in the seat Syrus had saved for her. Lia saw both of the boys give the blonde an inquiring look, but she waved it off and stared with rapt attention at the duel below. Lia looked on too, her eyes wide at the large, metal _thing_ that stood in front of Chazz.

" Hey, you made it!"

Lia turned to see Jessica running up to her, slight grin on her face.

" When you weren't at the south entrance, I got kinda worried."

" There was…" Lia paused, and looked over at where Jaden's three friends sat. " …A minor complication that came up."

" So what do you think?" Jessica asked, spreading her arm out over the stadium. Lia looked at all the people, decked out in different colours representing different ranks, all mingled together in a dizzy euphoria of their chosen sport. The very air in the room was spiced with the energy of their delight and something that may have been obsession with the cards being dropped onto the metal duel disks, and while Lia couldn't say she understood it, the heat and sincerity of every duelist in the room made her feel light-headed and giddy.

She raised her camera to her eye, and looked out of the focused vision to see Jaden, his face alive as she'd never seen it and the beginnings of sweat gathering on his brow. She blinked and Jaden looked down at the cards in his hands, smiling fondly at them and whispering something. He then looked up at Chazz and grinned in complete abandon down at his deck, and Lia's breath caught.

Because this was Jaden, pure and simple, in his element, his chosen kingdom.

She zoomed out with the camera to catch the cheering crowd in the image, a blur of yellows and blues and reds, all blended together by the love of the game.

She angled the camera to catch the light reflecting off the glass roof onto the two duelist just as Jaden raised his hand up and a bright light engulfed the little fuzz ball in front of him. The light gave way to a pair of dazzling white wings. The fuzz ball spread them out wide like an angel in front of Jaden, who had a glorious smile on his face that lit the entire arena up like a beacon.

Lia snapped the shot.

" So what do you think?" Jessica pressed, staring down at Jaden.

Lia didn't need to look up to hear the euphoric cheer that rose up from the approving crowd, and she didn't need to look up to know it had originated from a Slifer, a Ra, and an Obelisk, all sitting together, drawn together by their desire to see one honest, sweet boy triumph against the odds. She didn't need to see Jaden jump up and down in joy to know he was in a state beyond happiness. She didn't need to see any of this, because she had the proof on her camera.

For the first time since she had arrived at Duel Academy, Lia Shanner let a small, eager smile grace her lips.

" Perfect shot."

* * *

Is that some developement I see?

Lia: I'm coming out of the corner now.

Yeah, yeah, fine. Ah, the joys of slowly building a character. The thrill, the joy...the pressure. God, I want to avoid stereotypes.

Jaden: What about stereos?Just stand there and look pretty, sweetie. And now, for some translations:

Ce qui sont toi faisant?! Arrêtez-le! Immédiatement! Je suis sérieuse! Arrêtez-le! Ne me touchez pas! Je crierai viol! Je le ferai! Descendez de moi, immédiatement!" - What are you doing?! Stop it! Immediately! I'm serious! Stop it! Don't touch me! I'll scram rape! I'll do it! Get off me, immediately! (Lia has this thing about surprise hugs...)

J'aurai votre tête, si vous n' êtes pas soigneux - I'll have your head if you're not careful.

Slapping Syrus - He wasn't hysterical. Lia just over reacted. She does that a lot. Don't worry, she'll get better at handling him.

Lia on the Heart of the Cards - We'll get to this later, but Lia has her layers. And her reasons.

I'll be alone again. - The meeting od kindred spirits. Jaden may be the first one to reach out to her, but he's not the first one _she'll_ rach out to.

" His smile is annoying, he's too loud, and he sleeps in class. He is, quite possibly, the most annoying person I've ever met, but that doesn't mean I won't help when he's the victim." - I'm tryin gto avoid the tsundere stereotype. Lia starts off being cruel, and will get nicer, but she's still a bitch, even when you get close to her. It's part of her character. I wrote her as a bitch, friend or foe.

Perfect shot. - Of what, though? Her subject? The school? The game? What about that shot was so perfect? Remember, Lia likes to look into the picture, but it'll be a long while before she's a part of it.

MoS


	6. The Story

Warnings: A bit of Jaden speculation, a bit of character developement (more in the next chapter), and a little secrecy on the aprt of our favourite blonde.

Disclaimer: If I owned _Yugioh GX_, Lia would have been a character.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" Hey, do you like scary stories?"

" Shouldn't that be 'movies', not stories?" Lia neatly countered as she balanced her history textbook against her pencil case. Jaden looked confused at her statement, before it sunk in.

" Do I look like I'm wearing the mask?" He asked playfully, anticipating the response that she would come up with.

" Well, no, but how do I know you aren't hiding a knife that rat's nest you call hair, cheri?"

Jaden sighed, and chalked a point up to her on the mental scoreboard he had going. She was really starting to pull ahead, and they'd only known each other for a few weeks.

In the weeks that followed the massive upset in the Blue ranks that had occurred post his duel with Chazz, September had given way to October, and Jaden had been surprised to find that things were actually starting to settle down at Duel Academy. It had been both a relief and a disappointment that he was actually able to get a decent night's sleep and pay attention in his classes. Lia's determination that he should break the 'Slifer Slacker' stereotype (it hurt his tongue just to think about saying that phrase three times fast) had reached new heights when she'd found out that he had turned down a promotion to the Yellow dorm. To be truthful, he'd expected her to be furious, but she'd been completely delighted, claiming that turning it down gave them more of a chance to change the outlook on Slifers. Jaden had just told her that he didn't want to leave Syrus behind, because his friends meant more to him than a stupid promotion in rank. She'd gone very quiet after he admitted that. Jaden was afraid he may have offended her somehow, but the next day she was back to normal, making sure he was awake and looking over his notes.

Three weeks of her crash course in paying attention in class had left its mark, and Jaden found it impossible to fall asleep in class, as every time he did, he woke with a start, expecting a sharp tap, or a pinch on the ear, or his least favourite, a water bottle being emptied over his unsuspecting head. To his utter shock, staying awake actually had some merit, as he found the material being taught in most of his classes (there were few he just couldn't get into; Lia assure him that was perfectly normal) was actually something he wanted to learn. His notes, while nowhere near as pristine or organized as Bastian's, were starting to become useful on his long review nights before tests.

" I thought you'd go with the whole 'You're not wearing a mask, that's your real face?!' thing, to be honest."

Lia snorted again, an altogether very indelicate sound, and flipped the page to try and find the answer to the one question on the front side of the worksheet that had stumped her.

" You should know me better than that by now." She scolded him, but Jaden couldn't help but smile. She tapped the pencil against her lower lip, tilted her head, and looked so much like an inquisitive cat, it almost made him laugh out loud.

" But really, you do like them?"

She let her pencil hover over a paragraph, scanning it for the information she needed.

" To a certain extent, why?"

With a soft 'aha!' she located the answer and set to writing it on the worksheet.

" Because I wanted to invite you to go with us to the abandoned dorm tonight."

The pencil screeched along the paper.

" I'm sorry, but what?"

Jaden grinned sheepishly as she advanced on him.

" Are you asking me to not only break curfew, but go exploring in a place that has been marked off on our campus maps as 'out of bounds'?"

" We have a campus map?"

" No way, no how, cheri."

" No seriously, we have campus maps? Where did you get one? I didn't get one. Who was giving them out?"

" Stop talking and do your work. You haven't even started yet." She indicated the blank worksheet on his desk. " If you start now you can probably finish by the end of the period."

" I'll do it if you agree to come with us to the abandoned dorm."

" Why would I do that?"

" Because you want me to disprove the Labeling theory." Beside him, she stiffened. " Lex told me. I think it's pretty cool, so I'm not complaining. But the fact is, you need me to do well, in order to prove you right, right? So," he concluded, " I promise to get this worksheet done and get over 75% on the next test if you come with me and Syrus and Chumley to the abandoned dorm tonight."

" Why do you want me to come so much anyway?"

Never let it be said that Jaden Yuki was not a good friend, because he was. He was probably the best friend anyone could ask for. He was funny and nice and he didn't judge people on anything but themselves. He could melt even the darkest of hearts with his charming smile and he was so engagingly innocent, it sometimes frightened the people who knew and loved him. But that wasn't what made him such a great friend. What made him such a fantastic friend was that he knew what type of friend the other person he was with needed.

He knew Syrus didn't believe in himself, and hated being lonely (because he'd been like that his whole life). He looked up to a big brother who either didn't care, or was trying to toughen Sy up entirely the wrong way. So Jaden believed in Syrus when the boy couldn't believe in himself. He carefully glued back together the pieces of the boy that the world had broken, and smiled as he did it. He shared his boundless confidence with Syrus, and taught the boy about laughter, because that was what he needed.

Chumley was the type of person who got teased. He wasn't expected to go far, and had accepted that he wasn't cut out for greatness. So Jaden became his champion, and his confidante. He pushed Chumley to do better than the mediocre standard the boy had set for himself. He made the boy look inwards to find his strength, like Jaden had learned to do long ago.

Bastian was resented because he was smart. He was set away from the mainstream because he was so far above them in terms of brains that he couldn't really have a proper conversation with them. People thought he thought he was too good for them, even the members of his own dorm. He was supposed to be stuck up because of his brains, and Jaden was more than willing to offer him his friendship. Because Bastian wasn't stuck up, wasn't snooty, and he didn't think he was better than anyone he wasn't. So Jaden let Bastian know he was respected and liked, not for his brains, but for the fact that Bastian was a good guy, and Jaden saw that in him.

Alexis wanted to be seen as something more than just a pretty face with a good body. She wanted to be respected, not for being the Queen of the Blues, but for being her, for being Alexis Rhodes. It should've been easy, Jaden thought, but given that only a small percent of duelists were actually girls, and wouldn't use talking to Alexis as an excuse for ogling her chest, it was a rather difficult goal to achieve. So Jaden respected her, partly as a duelist (because that was what she was, and she should be recognized first and foremost as a duelist, not a _female_ duelist) and even more as a person, because he genuinely liked her, honestly got along with her.

So Jaden saw the wall Lia had thrown up between her and the rest of the world. Everyone, even himself, was kept at a desperate arm's length for one reason or another. Jaden didn't know why Lia didn't want anyone close, and he wasn't going to pry until she trusted him enough to tell him. Instead, he was going to be her friend. He was going to joke around with her, and get her to laugh and maybe, if he was lucky, smile, because Jaden had a feeling that Lia had a nice smile.

He'd always been drawn to lonely people, because he liked being friends with people, and lonely people generally needed friends. Jaden liked making people smile, and if he could make someone who had spent so long being sad and alone to smile, then it was all the more worth.

So Jaden wanted to invite Lia along, because she was lonely and she was probably sad, and she kept everyone she met away with sarcasm and a biting tongue. He wanted to pull her out of that place with the thorns she hid behind, and coax out the lost little girl who had been locked away.

It was his own little pet project; to see if he could get her to smile before the year was over.

" You just don't seem like the type of girl to scare easy, and we're gonna need some guts where we're going." He lied through his teeth. Lia gave him a searching look with narrowed eyes. Jaden grinned his brightest, most charming grin, and for a split second, over the thorns in her eyes, the girl peeked out and waved shyly at him.

" Make it an 80%, and you have a deal." She sat, staring directly at him.

Jaden held out his hand, feeling as victorious as he had several weeks ago when he had beaten Chazz.

" Done."

They shook hands, and Jaden started on his history assignment.

**_**

" I mean, you _could_ look at it as being lost, or you could just say we found a couple places where it's not."

" …No, we're definitely lost."

" I agree with the Ra girl."

" I _do_ have a name, you know."

" Yeah, but Ra girl is easier to remember."

" How is 'Ra girl' easier to remember than 'Lia'?"

" …I dunno, it just is."

" Chumley, sometimes I worry about you."

" I worry about you too, Sy."

" Didn't we already pass that tree?"

" Yeah, four times."

" We're lost! We're lost and we're never going to find our way out, and we're going to die in this forest! It'll be _weeks_ before they think to send out a search party, and by then, we'll all have been eaten by wild animals and-"

" Syrus, it's this way."

" How do you know, Ra girl?"

" _Lia. Liiiii-yaaaaa_. It really isn't all that difficult. And I know because of the bright yellow tape saying: Police Line, Do Not Cross."

" How long as that been there?"

" Nevermind that, how long has _she_ been up front leading us?"

" Lia?"

" Yes, cheri?"

" …Is that a map?"

" …I'm beginning to see why you wanted someone with actually brains in their head on this adventure."

" Hey, Sy, be careful."

" Why?"

" You almost stepped on that rose."

Syrus looked down at his suspended foot and saw beneath it a flash of red, illuminated by the flashlight of one of the people behind him. He gave yet another startled yelp and flew backwards to tumble to the ground in a heap.

" Mon Dieu, c'est une fleure, pas un serpent!" Lia slapped her hand onto her forehead and shook her head until her brown curls bounced. The hem of her grey sweatshirt rose up a little to reveal the green fabric tucked into the waistband of her blue jeans. Her yellow jacket was no where to be seen, and out of the three boys, she was the only one holding the campus maps that had been distributed to new students on their first day. In the other hand, she gripped a medium sized, somewhat heavy flashlight that she had pointed at the ground where Syrus lay.

" What?" The boy groaned as he pulled himself to his feet.

" Something about a snake, I think." Chumley answered, flashing his light around a little to get a better idea of the landscape. Syrus let out another wail.

" Snake! Where?!" He jumped and latched onto the nearest thing, which happened to be Chumley, and the two careening off to the left, and into a tree. Lia and Jaden watched with raised eyebrows as the two collapsed into a heap at the base of the weeping willow (no one was going to even bother to ask _why_ there was a weeping willow on a tropical island, because they figured they probably didn't want to know the answer anyway).

" If my life ever depends on the two of you, remind me to kill myself." Lia said scathingly.

" Will do, Ra girl." Chumley agreed, and from something underneath his bulk, Syrus managed to wrestle free and arm to give her a thumbs up. Lia gave Jaden a look that clearly read 'They're your friends', and walked over to the entrance of the abandoned dorm to wait. Heaving a sigh, Jaden reached over to untangle his two best friends.

" Would you guys please just relax?" He entreated as he hauled Chumley off of a thoroughly squished Syrus. " There's no one here but us."

CRACK went a twig in the darkness.

All three boys let out horrified screams and latched onto one another in a frenzy of terror. Syrus and Chumley over balanced Jaden who went tumbling back with the two still attached, and flipped right over onto his stomach. This action sent Syrus flying upwards, but the fact that Chumley still had a grip on his arm halted his flight and sent him crashing down onto Jaden's left leg. Syrus' momentum caused Chumley to step forward, and trip over Jaden's other leg. He went down, splayed half over Jaden and half on the ground, his one arm entangled behind Syrus.

Alexis moved her circle of light from the intertwined boys to the source of the snickering coming from the gates.

" You guys suck." Was all Lia had to say as she held her stomach in an effort to keep from falling over from laughing. " You just suck."

" A little _help_ might be nice!' Syrus said pointedly.

" It probably would." Lia agreed, fingering her camera. " Just let me get a shot of this."

" What?! No way!" Syrus tried to get up, but was held down, partly by the fact that his limbs were entangled with both Chumley and Jaden, and partly by the blue booted foot on his chest. He looked up into Alexis' grinning face.

" Yes way." She said and struck a pose.

" Get a shot of this, Lia."

" 'Alexis the Man Slayer'." Lia smirked as she clicked the shutter open and closed and a quick succession of flashes illuminated the tree. " Oh, this is _so_ going into my scrapbook!"

" What the _hell_?!"

The voice spoke up from behind Lia, and from what Jaden could see from his position on the ground, she jumped a foot in the air. With the tiniest shriek Jaden had ever heard a girl give, Lia whipped around on her heel, gripped her flashlight, and launched it with frightening accuracy at a spot of darkness just out of all their lines of vision. There was the whistle of the air around the flashlight, and then there was a heavy 'thunk' that made them all, Lia included, wince, followed by a loud " OW!" from somewhere in the darkness.

Presently, his black hair slightly mussed up, and a red bump in the dead center of his forehead, Chazz Princeton came storming out of the woods.

" Who the _hell_ just threw a _flashlight_ at _me_?!" He roared, but Lia, upon realizing who it was, let the slight fear in her face melt away into fury as she stalked up to the irritated boy, and snatched the flashlight in his pale fist back with vigour.

" Don't touch my stuff." She hissed.

" You're the one who _hurled_ it at me like some kind of _javelin_, honey!"

She bashed him in the head.

" OW! What the fu-" She hit him again. " Quit doing that!"

" Don't swear then."

" Don't you tell me what to do, you bitch! Do you know who I am?!"

_Bam_.

" The guy who is probably going to have more brain damage than he already had by the end of this night?"

" Don't hit me!"

" Don't act like you're all that just because you've blue on your uniform." She looked down the edge of her nose at him. "Âne."

" What did you just say to me?!" Chazz sputtered, but he was completely ignored as Lia made her way over to where the others stood stunned. She reached over, and uncurled the arm Chumley had trapped around Syrus. With a sigh, the three boys pulled loose of each other, and Syrus rubbed his sore neck.

" If I ever get into a fight with you, remind me to surrender right away."

" I'm a pretty good shot." She said as she rolled her shoulder to loosen it up. " That's all."

Chazz seemed to have forgotten his fury as soon as Alexis had spoken up. He looked over at her with a disbelieving expression, and rushed to her side, looking from her to the rest of them in something akin to horror.

" Alexis! What are you doing with these slackers?!" Lia bopped him on the head. " I mean, don't you have any shame?! Their bad habits will rub off on you! You'll be called a Slacker sympathizer forever!"

" Wow." Jaden said, stunned. " He really doesn't like us, does he?"

" I'm guessing no." Chumley said simply.

" Should we…apologize or something?" Syrus asked. " I mean, we _were_ kinda hanging out with his girlfriend behind his back."

There was a dead silence.

" _Girlfriend?!_" Alexis shrieked shrillily.

Lia gave a snort and reached over to pull Jaden and Chumley out of the line of fire.

"Il était bon vous sachant." She took a step back, and cleared the path for Alexis to storm forward, three kinds of murder in her eyes.

" I'm not…I would _never_…he isn't…we're not…" Her fury seemed to have robbed her of speech. " Never, ever, ever…just EW!"

" That's a little harsh Lex." Jaden said, eyeing Chazz's dejected form. Alexis rounded on him, promising death he that dared to speak. " But sometimes you need to be harsh!" He quickly amended.

Lia looked up from where she was examining her flashlight for bumps.

" So are we gonna stand out here screaming at each other all night, or are we going into the dark, scary-looking building?"

" I vote for screaming at each other all night!" Syrus shouted.

" I second that!" Chumley agreed.

" No, we're definitely going it!" Jaden stated with a grin.

" Wait, you_ can't_ go in there!" Alexis protested sternly, Chazz looked at her in surprised, before his face turned sober and he looked to the side in defeat.

" Why not?" Jaden asked in genuine curiousity.

" Don't you know that students have gone _missing_ in that dorm?!" She snarled, but Jaden simply laughed it off.

" Isn't that just a rumour?"

" No, it isn't!" She snapped, and then stalked past him, in long determined strides. " I'm going back to the dorm."

" Hey, wait for me Alexis!" Chazz shouted and took off after her.

She just made it past Lia before a hand on her wrist stopped her.

" Out of all of us, you seem the most informed." Lia looked her dead in the eye. " If push comes to shove in there, you'll probably be needed."

" Isn't that what _you're_ for?" Alexis asked a trifle bitterly. Lia's laugh matched hers.

" No, I'm just the sensible girl with the brain that no one listens to. According to horror movie logic, I'll be killed off first."

" Why you?" Syrus squeaked. Lia turned her devilish smirk on him.

" Because the killer knows I can get everybody out alive, and he or she isn't about to let their victims escape."

" _Killer_?!"

" It wasn't that anyone was killed." Alexis said softly. " They just came here one night last year and vanished without a trace."

Chazz took a step forward, and placed a cautious hand on Alexis' shoulder.

" If this is about Atticus-" He tried, but was cut off.

" Leave me alone, Princeton." She shrugged his hand off her shoulder, her bangs falling over her eyes.

"Atticus?" Jaden began but Lia silenced him with a swift look.

" I'm coming with you guys." Alexis announced. " But just to make sure whatever took those students doesn't take you guys too."

" You _do_ care about us, Lex!" Jaden grinned, expecting some kind of scathing retort. He was surprised by the soft smile she gave him and the others.

" Yeah, yeah, I do care about you guys." She reached over and gave his hand a light squeeze. Her face went pink as she realized what she was doing and she quickly turned to the entrance gates and started walking.

" Well, let's get going! We don't have all night."

She marched confidentially onto the dirt path leading up to the dorms. Syrus and Chumley darted after her, jogging to catch up to where her brisk steps had carried her.

Lia glance back as Chazz brushed past her and glared at Jaden.

" Back off Slacker, I saw her first!"

Jaden held up his hands in a sign of surrender and waited for Chazz to get ahead before he started up the path. He turned back to see Lia snapping a photo of the building.

" You coming?"

Lia slowly lowered her camera as she nodded, and stared up at the dark, deserted building, with the busted doors and the boarded up windows. A chill ran down her spine and she pulled her sweatshirt closer. Somewhere in the distance, and eerie howl pierced the cold night air and she looked up just in time to see a cloud pass over the full moon and throw the old building and the landscape around it, as well as the five teenagers heading up the gravel path towards the door into a depressing darkness.

" Dieu, " she muttered, "tout ce qui est absent est la musique sinistre."

* * *

Hello again everyone! How are you enjoying the story? I promised it would get more interesting, and we have just entered the arc (yes, this bit can be classfied as an _arc_) that gave me the most trouble. I started writing, and then I just couldn't get out of it. The Abandoned Dorm Arc just dragged on and on and _on_...

But, I survived, didn't I? On that note, some translations:

Mon Dieu, c'est une fleure, pas un serpent - My God, it's a flower, not a snake

Âne - Asshole. Near as I can tell, anyway.

Il était bon vous sachant - It's been nice knowing you.

tout ce qui est absent est la musique sinistre - all that's missing is the ominous (sinister) music.

" Hey, do you like scary stories?"

" Shouldn't that be 'movies', not stories?"- Small _Scream_ reference there. Those were good movies.

" You should know me better than that by now." - I place this conversation about mid to late October, possibily early Novemeber, even. Lia has had some times to get comfortable (or, at least, less frigid) around Jaden, and he has had time to weedle his way past her shield a bit. Pay attention to the bit about the little girl and the thorns. That will come up again.

Campus maps - So will this. Over and over. ...Jaden is never going to get his hands on one, as far as I'm concerned.

Ra Girl - I can't see Chumley coming right out and saying Lia's name, when this is probably his first formal introduction to her. Hence, Ra Girl.

Lia's clothing - Pay attention to the colours she's wearing. They mean something. Also, look at the number of layers she has on. That is an indication of her emotional state and how she will respond to people. I'll give you a hint. Lia is wearing rey, a drab colour, meant to help her blend into teh background. Underneath is a green t-shirt. Green is teh colour of life. The bulky, all-covering sweatshirt doesn't quite cover up the green T-shirt (less covering, more open) entirely. See if you can guess her emotional state at the moment.

Alexis the Man Slayer - A. It's totally true and B. Lia is very giddy right now. This is her first real 'hang out with friends' at Duel Academy, and her guard is down a bit right now. It snaps back up though, when Chazz comes into the picture.

Lia throwing stuff (particualarly at Chazz) - This is will come up again. I couldn't resist. It serves a bigger purpose, but it's just funny as well.

OW! What the fu-" She hit him again. - Normally, Lia is fine with cursing. But then again, normally _she's_ the one cursing, so...

Syrus thinking that Alexis was Chazz's girlfriend - The way Chazz was talking, he was meant to sound like a possessive boyfriend, and Syrus automatically assumed...

Slacker Sympathizer - A typical insult among the Blues. It will come up again.

If push comes to shove in there, you'll probably be needed. - This has nothing to do with the fact that Lia wants there to be another girl in the group. No, of course not.

Lia: Shut it. You don't understand the way I think.

Honey, I created you. Of course I know how you think. In fact, you might say that I am-

Lia: If you even _think_ about making a _Star Wars_ reference, this flashlight is going straight into your skull.

...Killjoy. Where was I? Oh yeah.

The Sensible Girl - C'mon. All horror movies have one. And they always die first, because the psycho with the axe knows that she can get everyone out alive. But no one ever listens

Atticus - I never liked that Alexis was so open and upfront about the disappearence of her brother, especially to complete strangers like Jaden, Syrus and Chumley. Yes, she knew Jaden and Syrus, bit not well enough to share something that important to her. Atticus' disappearence was probably very emotionally and mentally scarring for her. You can see, even in the dub, how much it affects her. So in this version, Alexis won't be so forth-coming with delicate information like that.

Chazz's hositility - I have my own reasons for doing this, but Chazz will be a major asshole (maybe more than an asshole) for the next little while. I'm having too much fun playing around with this side of his character. The darker parts of him were never really adequately explored in the canon (at least, not the dub), and I want to see where this Chazz will take me before he reforms at the School Duel.

Aside for all the above, I'd like to let you all know that I ahve taken some liberties and exertered my creative liscense, and changed some of the ages. Jaden, Syrus, Bastian, and Lia are all in first year, and all teh boys are 15. Lia is 14, seeing as how she was bumped up a year when she was younger. Chazz, and Alexis are in second year. Chumley would be in second year, but he failed first year. Atticus would've been in third year. I've added an extra year to Duel Academy, making it go four years instead of the traditinal three that the japanese schooling system seems to employ. It follows a mainly North Amercian system. This is becasue I am North Amercvian, and I don't want to make an idiot of myself pretending I understand how schools all over the world operate. That is why you will find no 'fangirl Japanese' in this story. If Jaden (or anyone learning, or speaking the language) uses it, it will be on purpose, and carefully researched to ensure that it is correct. That goes for any language other than English that is being used. Where was I? Oh, yes, the ages. Zane is now in the newly created, just-for-this-universe, fourth year of Duel Academy. He will graduate in June.

Please leave some reviews, because I'm starting to lose confidence in this story, and I have some parts coming up later that I really want to get to. Please, make me feel loved, okay?

MoS


	7. The Expedition

Warnings: Chazz gets...dark...towards the end of this. Swears quite heavily, in fact. Also, Jaden being...kinda weird...-er than usual.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year One: The Academic**

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It turned out that the door had collapsed in sometime recently, if the lack of dust around the frames was any indication. Both hunks of heavy, carved wood lay sagging against the outline of the doorway. A few bare cracks created by the angles the doors lay on showed a pitch blackness that was all that seemed to remain of the dorm. Jaden and Alexis both shone their flashlights into one of the dark cracks close to the top of the doorway, but all their efforts yielded was a few shadows dancing over the frame and Syrus' frightened whimper. The boy shuffled closer to Chumley, as if trying to conceal himself behind the other boy's bulk. Chazz stood apathetically to the side, eyeing the forest around them with mild interest, but darting his eyes back ever so often to the forms of Alexis and Jaden, scowling whenever he noticed how close they were standing.

Lia herself was slightly separated from the group, tapping at the boarded up windows, flashing her light over the openings in the wood. When one of the boards gave a startling creak at her poking, she jumped back, and trained her flashlight on it. Standing perfectly still, she waited.

" You find something, Ra girl?"

Lia spun again and sent her flashlight spinning towards the source of the voice. Chumley let out a grunt as it hit him in the stomach, and next to him, Syrus jumped back.

" It's us, Lia!" He said, holding his hands up in surrender. Lia breathed deeply and shuffled over to retrieve her silver light.

" Désole." She said sheepishly. " Just…I don't like it when people sneak up on me. I…I tend to react violently."

" You're telling me." Chumley grimaced as he rubbed his sore stomach. " Nice throw. I'm probably gonna have a bruise there tomorrow."

" Yeah." Lia muttered, turning her gaze back to the window.

" Can we get in there?" Syrus ventured.

" It's the only one so far with loose boards." Lia said. " A bit of applied pressure ought to do it."

" 'Kay." Chumley took a step forward. " Sy, go get the others."

" Why do I have to go back in the dark?" Syrus whined. " Why can't you do it?"

" Because _I'm_ going to break the board so we can all get in."

" Well, maybe this is a sign. Maybe we're not meant to get in. Maybe we should all just go home, and forget this place ever existed."

" Wow, I didn't think anyone could be so wimpy."

Syrus let out an ear splitting scream and threw himself behind the closest person, who happened to be Lia. Lia stumbled slightly at the extra weight attached to her back, but managed to keep her balance, and bring her hand up.

" Don't throw that freakin' flashlight!" Chazz snarled at her, and Lia, tentatively, lowered her arm. " Jeez, it's not like I'm one of those psychos from the horror movies, you don't have to keep attacking me."

" Chazz is right." Jaden grinned as he and Alexis joined them. Chazz looked over in surprise at the Slifer boy, but his look immediately melted into one of fury when he noticed Alexis had her hand around Jaden's wrist, and was dragging him over.

" He's more like the self-important jackass who dies about midway through."

" The one you always want to just hand over to the freakshow with the axe?" Lia asked.

" Yeah, that's the one." Jaden paused. " Wait, what does that make me?"

" The goofy hero who'll get killed towards the end."

" What about me?"

" Sy, trust me," Jaden said sagely, " you don't want that answered." He glanced at Lia, who had her mouth open. " Don't." Her mouth snapped shut, and she glared playfully at him.

"Killjoy." She muttered, and Jaden couldn't help but smile at her.

" Since when have _you_ been all…" Chazz waved his hands around in the air, trying to find the right word to describe Lia's odd mood, " …_friendly_?"

" I've always been like this." Lia sniffed and walked past him to push against the board with Chumley, though she knew her bulk probably wasn't going to help very much. " It's just that people like _you_ tend to put me in a bad mood." She pushed vainly against the wood, swearing lightly in French.

" Need some help there, sweetheart?" Chazz sneered, only slightly taken aback when she sneered right back at him.

" Want this flashlight rammed into your ridiculously thick skull?" Lia asked in a falsely sweet voice.

" Dude, just stop talking." Jaden advised as he ran over to help the duo at the window. He took a step back, darted forward, and rammed his shoulder against the board. With a crash, the three went sailing through the now open window and into the chilling darkness inside. The trio outside waited for a few seconds, and were rewarded with the distinct sound of a 'thump' as several bodies collided with the floor.

" Okay, not the best plan."

" This is the third time tonight!"

" Votre main est dans mes yeux. Removez-le!"

" Well," Alexis said with a sigh, " we know they're alright, at the very least."

" Yeah." Syrus tiredly agreed as he hoisted himself up and crawled through the window.

Chazz made a sweeping motion with his hand.

" Ladies first."

Alexis merely scowled at his gentlemanly behaviour, and shoved him forward. He stumbled up to the window and grumbled as Alexis motioned for him to climb in.

" And let you look up my skirt as I get in the window?" She shook her head as Chazz's form disappeared through the opening. " Not likely."

**_**

" So, we're in." Alexis glanced around the bleak interior of the forgotten building. " What now?"

" I think we should split up and go exploring." Jaden announced. Lia, who had been snapping shots of the chandelier on the ceiling and the drab, dust covered stairwell, stumbled over a piece of sheet covered furniture and landed in a heap, camera still clutched in her hands, and dust slowly settling down in a thin blanket on her head. She stared at Jaden, blinking her eyes like he'd just told her the world was going to end in four minutes.

"Es-tu fou?!" She shouted, her voice echoing down the empty hall and bouncing back to the group eerily off the faded walls. Lia had the decency to wince.

" Anglais, anglais." She hissed to herself. Shaking her head, she turned back to Jaden. " Have you never seen a horror movie before?"

" Sure, I love horror movies." Jaden shrugged. Lia threw her hands up in the air, and gazed heavenward with a pleading look in her eyes.

" What do horror movies have to do with this?" Syrus asked. Chazz, from somewhere over by the mantle piece in the large room, scoffed.

" We're a group of curious teenagers in an abandoned house where people have gone missing, armed with only flashlights. Not to mentioned," He pointed to himself, " I'm a jerk, he's an idiot," he pointed to Jaden, " he's fat," he jabbed his thumb at Chumley, who let out an offended 'Hey!', " she's gorgeous," he pointed to Alexis who immediately looked away in anger, " you're a wimp," he eyed Syrus, " and she's a know-it-all bitch." He finished off pointing at a scowling Lia, but facing the other way.

"Go to hell."

" I'm stuck in a house with you and the slacker club, aren't I?" He smirked. " At least there's one redeeming factor." He made his way over to Alexis, and placed an arm around her shoulders. " At least there's another Obelisk here for me to talk to."

" If you don't take that arm off my shoulders, you won't be getting it back." Alexis deadpanned, and Chazz hurried to remove his appendage. Jaden and Syrus stifled snickers into the hands, and Lia smirked as she took a picture of the moonlit hallway that led out of the room.

" My point is," Chazz growled at them all, his previously bad mood fully restored, " that we are the perfect group to be in a horror movie. We represent all the common stereotypes."

" We don't have a druggie." Jaden piped up. Chazz rolled his eyes.

" Like you don't smoke weed in your dorm at the end of every day."

" But I don't." Jaden said in an innocently confused voice. Alexis rounded on Chazz.

" Don't accuse Jaden of taking drugs!"

" Why not?!"

" Because you're only accusing him because he's in Slifer Red. You wouldn't accuse him if he was a Ra!"

" I'd accuse him anyway!" Chazz stamped his foot. " It's got nothing to do with the fact that he's a Slifer!"

" Oh yeah?!"

" Yeah!"

" Well, why _are_ you accusing him then?!"

" Because I don't like him, that's why!"

" So just because you don't like him, you think you can accuse him of stuff?!"

" I'm a Princeton! I can do whatever the hell I want!"

" Do this!"

Alexis curled her hand into a fist and sent it careening into Chazz's gut. The boy doubled over, groaning and holding his midsection. The rest of the group, who had been watching the display of words being hurled back and forth like a tennis match, all began to cough falsely, trying to cover up their laughter, with exception of the only other girl in the group, who looked at the blonde with disappointment in her hazel eyes.

" Why didn't you hit lower?"

Chazz's eyes bugged out.

" I don't want to touch that!" Alexis shuddered.

" Yeah, no telling where it's been." Lia nodded wisely, but failed to keep the sadistic grin off of her face.

" Fuck you, you French bitch." Chazz spat, and Alexis kicked him in the shin. He toppled over, one hand grabbing at his injured leg, another still clutching his abdomen.

" So, exploring?" Alexis offered, wiping her hands on her skirt.

The boys cast a wary eye on Chazz, still lying on the grimy floor and nursing his wounded body and pride. Syrus gulped and Chumley muttered something about 'never pissing off a woman', loud enough for Jaden and Syrus to hear. Both nodded and agreed silently.

" I was thinking we could split up-" Jaden began.

" Famous last words." Lia interrupted in a sing-song voice. Jaden looked over at her, his eyes as close to glaring as was possible for him. " Yeah, you don't like it either." Lia said smugly. Jaden rolled his eyes.

" I was thinking groups of two. With Chazz and Alexis here, there's six of us, so that should be enough to at least find something interesting. If you do, give a holler on your video phone, and the rest of us can come see what it is. Does that work for you guys?"

A chorus of 'yeah's and 'okay's met his ears.

" Great!" He rubbed his hands together. " Now who is gonna go with who?"

" I have to go with Alexis." Chazz stated as he walked over. He was too busy brushing the dust off of his jacket to notice the glare the aforementioned girl sent him. " She's the only person whose company I can stand to stay in, what with the rest of you being Slifers."

Lia coughed.

" You're an Academic." Chazz sneered. " In my book, that's even worse than a Slifer Slacker. At least _they _know how to hold a duel disk properly.

" You better also hope that they know how to _properly_ dislodge this flashlight from the back of your head." Lia growled, more animated than Jaden had ever seen her. The past few weeks may have forced her to open up, but this was the first display of _real_ temper he'd seen since the first day. It might have amused him, if he hadn't been so unsure about whether or not she was serious.

" Are you threatening me?" Chazz asked, incredulous. He advanced on her, but Lia was more than equal to it. She marched right up to him and poked him in the chest.

" Je ne fait pas des menaces." She said with narrowed eyes. " Je fait des promesses."

It was intimidating, but Chazz was, apparently, not easily intimidated.

" Faites votre plus mauvaise, garce." He said simply, and Lia's jaw dropped as he spoke in her native language. The stunning fact that there was, in fact, someone else at the Academy who could speak French rendered her incapable of fighting back, and their first confrontation went to Chazz. He smirked at her surprise, and walked over to where Alexis stood.

" So, where do you wanna go?"

" Far away from you!" Alexis rolled her eyes, and walked nimbly to where Lia had recovered herself and was glowering with unflattering dislike at Chazz. " I don't know about you, but I'm going with the French bitch, thank you very much."

Lia blinked as she stopped glaring at the Obelisk boy, and looked over in surprise as Alexis threaded her arm through the one Lia had resting against her side.

" C'mon." She urged, and led Lia out of the room, passing by a smiling Jaden and a stunned Chazz. " Us girls gotta stick together, you know?"

" You're cutting off the blood to my hand." Lia said as the two disappeared out the door.

" Aw." Jaden sighed when he was sure neither girl could hear him. " Isn't that cute? Female bonding!"

" Which brings up the question of whether or not we actually want them to bond." Chumley said as he watched the two girls vanish.

" Yeah, they're scary enough as it is." Syrus agreed. Jaden merely laughed at their concerns, and glanced around the room.

" So, who's partnering up?"

**_**

" Chazz, I don't get it. If you don't like me, why did you agree to be my partner?"

Jaden flickered his light around so that it caught the strange inscriptions on the walls of the dank room the two boys were looking around. The wall was better preserved than the others in the room, and displayed images of several oddly shaped, gold coloured object, all branded with a strange looking eye at their centers. In the picture, light emitted from the eye, and bathed the writing in a soft glow.

Intrigued, Jaden brought his light up with one hand, and gently ran the fingers of the other along the writing. A slight tingle entered the tips of his fingers, and he was surprised to find that the wall itself seemed to radiate warmth. He drew his finger over the triangular shape of the upside down pyramid, and the warmth surged up through his fingers to his arm, to his shoulder, and then down his chest and legs and right into the tips of his toes.

" Wow." He murmured, slightly breathless, and pressed his whole palm against the wall. A circle of heat began to pleasantly heat up against his skin, and beside him, Winged Kuriboh popped into being.

The spirit let out a soft cooing noise, and Jaden lazily turned his head to regard it.

" You feel it too, right bro?" The ball of brown fur bobbed up and down in affirmation. " It's just…I have no clue what this is but…it feels…"

Jaden leaned forward and pressed his forehead directly against the eye on the sketch of the Millennium puzzle.

" It feels safe."

" Slacker!"

Jaden jumped back as Chazz bared down in him, grey eyes flashing coldly and hands fisted at the sides of his Obelisk Blue jacket.

" What do you think you're doing?!" He ground out. Jaden looked back to the wall, which no longer seemed to be any different from the other walls of the house, and the light Jaden had been sure he'd seen coming from the drawn items was gone. He shook his head and grinned at Chazz with a sheepish expression.

" Appreciating some art?"

Chazz snorted and turned on his heel, marching down the hall with a sweep of his coat.

" If you wanna get left behind because you're too busy feeling up walls to stay with the group, it's not my problem." Though Jaden couldn't see it, because Chazz had his back towards him, the boy's face twisted into a jealous scowl. " The only reason I even agreed to baby-sit you was because Alexis would be upset if anything happened to you and your little slacker friends."

" Lia isn't a slacker." Jaden corrected the older boy as he wandered after him swinging the light back and forth off the walls, looking for something interesting. His monster spirit floated contently by his left shoulder, eyeing the splashes of faded wallpaper the light revealed. "She's a really good student."

" She's an Academic." Chazz spat, as though the word were a deadly disease.

" Why do you dislike the Academics so much?"

" Because," Chazz raved, " it's _Duel_ Academy! It was created for _duel_ists, not stuck up private school girls!"

" Lia went to public school." Jaden said, staring aimlessly up at the ceiling. He missed the choking motions Chazz made.

" Not the point!" He shouted. " This school was built to teach the next generation of duelist, not chemistry and math!"

" Yeah, that's partly why I came here." Jaden laughed. " I couldn't take another year of math."

" _That's it_!!"

Chazz whipped around and grabbed Jaden by the collar. As his pale fingers curled into the red fabric, Chazz proceeded to shake Jaden back and forth, screaming at him.

" You are the most _annoying_ bastard I have _ever_ had the _displeasure_ of encountering! You're _worse_ than any _Academic freak_ or _other Slifer slacker_ _**combined**_! I have _never_ been so _pissed off_ in my _life_! _God, _what I wouldn't give to just _throw_ you off of a _cliff_ and put you out of all our _misery_!!!"

" Wh-Whoa b-b-br-bro." Jaden managed in between shakes.

" I'm _not_ your _bro_!!"

" F-F-Fine." Jaden acquiesced as he tried to stop his stomach from turning over. He failed.

" Wh-Wh-Wha-What di-di-did I e-e-ever d-d-d-do to-to y-you?"

" _What _did you _do_?! _WHAT did you DO_?!" Chazz let of a bellow of fury and hurled Jaden against the nearest wall. Jaden connected with a thud and slid down, groaning as Winged Kuriboh flitted around his messy head in concern. Jaden was so busy feeling for a bump on the back of his head that he missed Chazz storming up to him and flicking the Kuriboh out of the way. Jaden had just assured himself that he didn't have a bump, and all the impact must have been absorbed by his back, when Chazz hauled him up by his collar again, and rammed him against the wall. Jaden winced.

" Can you not do that? My back kinda hurts after the flying lesson you just gave me-"

" Shut. Up." Chazz ground out through gritted teeth. Jaden fell silent. " You wanna know what you did, huh?" Chazz shook him again, and Jaden grit his teeth. "How can you say that to me after you _ruined_ everything?!"

" What did I do?" Jaden asked plaintively, and Chazz was suddenly right in front of him, nose-to-nose.

" You made me look bad. You beat me in a duel in front of _everyone_!" Chazz's grip had become choking. " And to top it all off, you've got the girl of _my_ dreams fawning all over _you_!"

" Lex?" Jaden choked out and Chazz's eyes went livid.

" Don't talk about her like you know her so well!" He shook the boy again and Jaden gasped for air. " I've known her a whole _year_ more than you! I've like her a whole year _longer_ than you! I was here first, and then _you_ just come waltzing out of nowhere and get everything I want _like that_?!"

" Chazz…I can't breathe." Jaden tugged at the hands on his collar, but Chazz didn't remove them.

" It isn't fair." He snarled. " I had to work long and hard to get to where I am, and you barely have to lift and finger?! That's fucked up!"

" …Chazz…I seriously…need…air…" Spots began to dance on the edge of Jaden's vision as he fought to stay awake. Chazz took no notice of his captive's problem and continued to rant like he'd apparently been waiting weeks to do.

" I've spent a year trying to get Alexis to just _look_ at me! And you smile at her one time, and suddenly she's all over you?!"

" …She's…not…" Jaden gasped.

" Oh, like you don't notice it!" Chazz tightened his grip. " She always around you these days, talking to you, laughing with you, looking at your decks together! She was holding your hand earlier tonight! And you just sit back and let her fondle you as much as she wants, don't you?!"

Jaden tried to protest, but there was a blackness that was starting to seep in over his eyes, and he found he was thinking at a pathetically sluggish pace. He tried to raise his hands to tug at the ones that had moved from his collar to gripping his throat, but it took a colossal effort, and he could only manage a weak pull or two before his hands dropped to his sides as the darkness over his eyes got thicker.

" You make me sick." Chazz's voice had dropped to a whisper, and his hands squeezed just a little tighter.

There was a far off whistling sound, like air rushing around something, and then a thud as whatever the thing was connected with something solid, and then Chazz gave a yelp and pulled his hands away, and Jaden gasped for breath.

As he massaged his sore throat, Jaden looked down at his feet where there lay a piece of wood that looked like it had been broken off of a chair leg of something. Jaden collapsed to his knees in front of it and reached his hand over to weakly grasp it. He turned it over thoughtfully as he filled his starved lungs. He was just about to question out loud where it had come from, when a voice drifted back to them.

" What were you doing back there?"

" Nothing. I though I saw something."

" Did you?"

" Just a shadow." A pause. " Where do you wanna head now?"

" Let's go to the basement. No one's probably been there yet. Syrus and Chumley are too chicken to even go near it."

" Good plan."

The voices faded off into the distance, and Jaden looked over at Chazz.

The boy was staring at his outstretched hands in utter horror, flexing them opened and closed as if he'd only just discovered he had something attached to the end of his wrists. He gulped and muttered something Jaden didn't catch, and shook his head to ward off some memory or thought. Jaden's heart went out to the pitiful look on the other boy's face, and he began wondering what kind of friend Chazz needed.

" Chazz…" He trailed off, and other boy started. For a moment or two, the boys stared at each other from across the moonlit hallway. The flashlight Jaden had dropped lay broken at his feet. With great effort, he remembered to be grateful that both Syrus and Lia had insisted they pack extras. Chazz looked away from Jaden as the boy fumbled with the light in his pocket.

" Listen, Slack-Jaden." Jaden stiffened his shoulders at Chazz's sincere tone. " I'm…I don't know what came over me…I didn't mean to…I wasn't going to…ki-do that to you. I-I just…I got angry, and I didn't realize what I was…doing. …What I mean is…I'm-"

" It's okay, Chazz." Jaden could see the revulsion and disgust in the boy's eyes when he looked at his hands. The struggle of trying to explain himself was more than enough of an apology for Jaden.

' _It's not the first time someone around me has lost it_.' He thought wryly, and gave Chazz a grin.

" It's not like you'da gone through with it, right?"

" Right." Chazz agreed dully. " I wouldn't have…I don't think I would have…probably not…"

" That settles it then!" Jaden said enthusiastically. He jumped up off the floor, still holding his aching throat. " Let's go find something cool before the others do, okay?"

Whether or not Chazz would have agreed (though it was a safe bet that at that point, he'd have agreed to just about anything to make Jaden happy) was something Jaden never found out, because the Obelisk boy's answer was cut off by a high-pitched scream.

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Hey there, people! Wow, I can't believe I've stuck with this all the way to this part! Didn't I tell you this could be called its own arc? It was a pain in the ass to write, but after I went back and read it, I really liked the way it turned out. I hope you guys do too.

Now, how's about some translation?

Votre main est dans mes yeux. Removez-le - Your hand is in my eye. Remove it!

Je ne fait pas des menaces. Je fait des promesses. - I don't make threats. I make promises.

Faites votre plus mauvaise, garce - Do your worst, bitch. (Of Chazz, sweetie, she's gonna get you for that.)

And let you look up my skirt as I get in the window - And really, are any of us willing to say that he wouldn't try?

Chazz's little horror movie rant - Becasue honestly, that entire bit was such a parody of a horror movie. I just had to point it out.

Jaden and the weed - Chazz is just being his usual, bitchy self, and trying to make Jaden look bad in front of Alexis. As you can see, it fails wonderfully.

" Yeah, you don't like it either." - She interrupted him when he was saying something important. Sound familiar?

their first confrontation went to Chazz - By the end of the story, you'll have lost count of who's winning. I'm at Chapter 42, and I lost count several chapters ago. And I'm _writing_ those confrontations!

Female bonding - It will show up next Friday.

It feels safe. - Trust me, this will come back.

Ah, the Chazz scene- Honestly, I did not plan this. As I was writing, it just came out. This is the Chazz that is hinted at before teh School Duel, when Jaden comes across him in the bathroom, near tears and almost hysterical. This is the Chazz who never got much screen time in the dub, and who vanished into the decent Chazz we all know before he had a chance to develope. I told you I was going to write this Chazz, and play around with his character to see where it took me. This Chazz takes me to a very dark place. This is a Chazz who has never been denied anyhting, who can't handle being denied anything, and it willing to do wahtever it takes to get what he wants. He's a ruthless, cruel, bordering on slightly insane in his worst moents. This is a Chazz I need to write, and this is how I will write him, because if I'm going to really explore his darkness, it has to be before he leaves for North Academy. After that, he developes into a decent human being, but I'm throughly intrigued by this horrible person who's popped up in my writing. I'm not going to compromise the decent  
Chazz, but this is an element that might come up when I write Year Two, and have Chazz be brainwashed by the Society of Light. (Yes, I've planned that far ahead. In fact, Year Two is shaping up to be my favourite.)

But in regards to this Chazz, he has his redeeming moments. He immediately lets go when he realizes what he's done, and he's very afraid of how far he went. This scene is going to haunt him. I already have plans for bringing it up again in both Year Two and Year Three. He will never be allowed to forget this moment. And also, note that, instead of hitting Jaden, beating his with soemthing (like a duel disk), Chazz 'goes for the htroat'. This is partly supposed to represent his ruthlessness, and partly to show him attacking what he perceives as Jaden's greatest strength: His ability to connect with people through his words. Jaden talks a lot. Most of the time, it's nonsense, but ever so often, he will hit on something profound.

I'm not your bro! - Chazz, as we all know, has issues with his brothers. Imagine how this term of affection, coming from _Jaden_ of all people, must make him feel.

_It's not the first time someone around me has lost it_ - Dun dun duuuuun! Now, what could _that_ mean?

Other than all that (I love my Chazz explanation). I hope you've all enbjoyed this chapter, and are looking forward to next week's!

Read and review, pretty please.

MoS


	8. The Attack

Warnings: Um...none really. Just a bit of girl-problems. (Boys, steer clear of those, you don't need to get caught up in them. They can get ugly.)

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year One: The Academic**

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" What was that all about back there?"

" I told you, just a shadow."

" Really?"

" Yeah, that's all." A pause, and a glance to the right. " Just a shadow…"

" You say something?"

" Nothing of importance."

" No offense, but you're a little weird."

" This from the girl sneaking around abandoned dorms late on a Friday night?"

" I have my reasons!"

A snort. " People always do."

Had Alexis been a little more sleep deprived, she might have taken Lia's comment as an insult. But she'd had a full ten hours of slumber the previous night, and Jaden had warned her on several occasions about the Academic's sarcastic tendencies, so the blonde was thankfully able to ignore the slightly cruel tone in Lia's voice and roll her eyes.

" I'm not going to tell you." She informed the other girl. Somewhere in the darkness off to her left, she swore she heard a female snicker.

" I wasn't asking." Came the calm response. Alexis supposed she had just imagined the giggle.

" Unlike everybody else." She muttered under her breath, training her light on something scuttling across the wall. " Ew."

" What?"

" Really big spider thing."

" Spider _thing_?"

" They aren't usually _bright red_, are they?"

" We're on a tropical island with oak, maple and willow trees." Lia said as she walked over to where Alexis stood. " Are you really so surprised by the wildlife?"

Alexis opened her mouth, blinked, and snapped her jaw shut again.

" I didn't think so." Lia's flashlight spun over the faded and grey interior of the hallway, before it landed and stayed on a patch of black within a doorway. Stepping closer over the creaking boards, she peered down into nothingness. Alexis sidled up next to her, her flashlight yielding nothing in the empty blackness.

" Five dollars says there's a freaky lab like in the bad science fiction movies from the '50's." Alexis grinned, and was rather shocked when Lia returned it with the same devilish one the blonde had seen right before the Rottweilers had been set loose.

" No way." Lia shook her head. " It's got to be some kind of horrible monster. It's _always_ some kind of horrible monster."

" Okay, you're on." Alexis held up her hand for Lia to shake. " Whoever is right gives whoever is wrong five dollars, 'kay?"

Lia eyed the hand warily, and glanced back down the doorway. The wind picked up outside, and, somewhere off in the distance, a wolf gave a furious howl at the full moon.

" Fine by me." The brunette took the hand. " It's obviously a werewolf."

" You sound sure." Alexis joked as she pulled herself onto the first step. " Watch it, the stairs are a little wobbly."

"Thanks." Lia gripped the rickety railing. " Of course I'm sure. Full moon. A group of teens in a scary house. Flashlights and only one map. Monster."

" Freaky lab."

" Monster."

" Freaky lab."

" What if it's a monster _in_ a freaky lab?"

" Then we both win, and we make Chazz pay us five bucks each."

" You don't like Chazz very much, do you?"

Alexis paused, and looked over her shoulder at Lia with a sly look.

" Oh, like you're one to talk." She looked the other girl right in the eye. " You couldn't be in the same room with him without getting into it."

" He just rubs me the wrong way." Lia muttered, and pushed passed the blonde to continue down. Alexis watched her go, a sigh on her lips that she didn't quite let leave. Lia had been making such progress in her social skills, and if Chazz undid it all with his callous remarks, Alexis swore there would be hell to pay.

" Yeah, I just can't get along with him either." She pointed her torch up ahead of Lia so the girl had more light. " I mean, he _can_ be sweet, but only when it suits him, and-"

" Only when it serves his best interest, right?"

" Yeah." Alexis let out a disappointed smile. " If he were genuine when he was being sweet then I don't know, maybe I'd look at him the way he wants me to, but he just _isn't_. He just acts that way because he thinks that's what I want, and if he does it, I'll like him."

" Does he know you know?" Lia pressed against a door, and it opened with a loud creak. Alexis shook her head wearily.

" No…At least, I don't think so. I haven't really given any indication." She ran a hand through her bangs. " He covers up that he's into me with all this 'I can't stand anyone but Blues' crap, but he really tries to be in a group where _I'm_ the only Blue, so that kinda gives it away. You know what I mean?"

" Alexis." Lia said, and she was surprised to hear a stern, bitter sound creep into the Academic's tone. " Have you taken a good look at me?" The brunette snorted. " There's very little chance I'll understand _your_ problems."

" _My_ problems?" Alexis felt her temper flare up. " How are _my_ problems different than _your_ problems?"

" Let's put it this way," the bitter tone was still there, and for the life of her, Alexis couldn't place it, " there's more separating us than dueling and not dueling."

Alexis' temper died as soon as it had blazed to life at the calm, even accepting, sound in Lia's voice. Something stirred in her, something from her earlier years, something about trying to find looser tops, about trying to keep a guy's eyes on her face and not her chest, something about wishing feverently that she had been born with a little cuter smile, and a lot less chest…

" Lia, what are you going on about?"

" Forget it." Lia said abruptly, waving away the awkwardness with the hand that was not grasping the flashlight. " It's nothing. Just forget I said anything at all."

But something in her, the something that remembered her tearing through her closet to find a shirt that didn't make her look like she was all chest and nothing else, compelled Alexis to push the subject just a little bit farther.

" No, really, what's so different about us?"

" Just leave it alone, okay?!" Lia whipped around and glared at her, hazel eyes flashing in the light from the silver object still clutched in her hand. Alexis saw her knuckles turn white from the furious grip, but she was struck by how open, even in her anger, Lia looked. The normally pale face was flushed red with rage and her eyes were almost sparking. There was the barest hint of hurt flickering across her face, coupled with a slight envy that danced so quickly through her eyes that Alexis was sure she had imagined it.

" I…sorry, I shouldn't have pried…." Alexis stammered, taking in the sagging of the vengeful face in front of her. " It isn't any of my business…"

" No, no I over reacted." Lia murmured so quietly, Alexis had to lean forward to hear it. " I just…it's a sensitive issue for me…can we forget this ever happened?"

" Yeah, sure." Alexis gave her a reassuring smile that Lia weakly returned. The narrow hallway had opened up some, and Alexis darted forward to walk side by side with the smaller brunette. Out of the corner of her eye, Alexis saw Lia begin to fiddle with the bunched up fabric of her grey sweatshirt, pulling at it and yanking it up more on her neck. She fumbled with the sagging material around her chest, and Alexis was struck by the light (no bigger or brighter than the lumincient of her flashlight) of a small epiphany.

' _Lia never shows any skin_.' She eyed the girl, in her sweatshirt and long jeans, covered from neck to ankle. ' _I've never even seen her neck before tonight_.' Alexis eyed the steadily moving pulse and the little motions of the muscles as the girl swallowed. ' _All I ever see is her face and her hands. She refuses to wear the girls' uniform, although_,' she glanced down at her own attire, ' _I can't really blame her. But still_,' she looked at the brunette, in long jeans and thick grey shirt, with a flash of green that may have been a t-shirt, ' _it's an island in the tropics, it can't be that cold out._'

Alexis shook her head, and glanced at the ceiling in puzzlement.

' _It's like she's trying to cover up as much of herself as possible_.'

Something poked at the edge of Alexis' conscience, prodding and chattering and trying to make itself heard. It may have very well succeeded, had the passageway the two girls were exploring opened up into an expansive cave.

" Oh, wow." Alexis breathed as all thoughts died her mind. Beside her, Lia gave an exclamation in French and brought her camera up to her eye to start snapping photos.

The massive hollow space carved out of thick, blue-grey rocks reached up a staggering four or five stories, steadily growing thinner and thinner until the cone-like structure culminated in a circular opening above there heads, the diameter about as long as a fully grown man. From the hole, silvery white moonlight might have filtered in, had there not been, from what the two girls struggled to make out, a heavy grey cloud blocking it. The rock walls themselves shone slippery and cold in the spill of the light the girls had brought, and Alexis gulped as she took in the near sheer slope of the hollowed out cave. Several jagged pointed rocks erupted from the cave walls at odd and incomprehensible patterns all around the dome of rock, jutted out like spears, overhanging and guarding the smoothed center of the cave bottom.

The floor was made of the same rock that edged upwards towards the skylight many meters about them, but it was polished, smooth and slippery and as flawless as the glass mirror in her bathroom back at the Blue Girls' dorm. Alexis could make out a few think lines etched into the smooth surface, but, it stretched out wide and long, and the designs the lines may have created were lost over the plane of her vision.

A scuffling noise drew her attention, and Alexis turned to find Lia hauling herself up onto one of the fallen rocks at the edge of one of the strange lines. She balanced herself on the top most tip of the rock, and reached up, with her arms extended to their maximum, to one of the spikes jutting out over her head.

" What are you _doing_?!" Alexis shouted as she ran over. Lia stumbled a little, but managed to keep her balance as she reached for the spike on her tiptoes.

" You'll get yourself _killed_!" Alexis scolded. Lia didn't look down from her perch.

"I want to get a picture of the weird circle on the floor."

Alexis blinked, and looked over to where one of the lines seemed to be curved over.

" It's a circle?"

" Of some kind." Alexis looked over to see Lia with both her arms and one leg wrapped around the spike, and was reminded, before she could stop it, of some kind of primate in a dense rainforest, clinging to a branch as it made its way home. She bit the inside of her cheek and tried to contain her laughter, as Lia used her free leg to make her body swing gently on the spike. On the third swing, Lia used her arms to haul herself up onto the spike with great effort (if her furious grunt was anything to go by), and situated herself, as comfortably as she could, on the nearly horizontal rock, her legs curled around either side of it. With a satisfied 'ah!', Lia leaned over slightly, and brought the camera that was dangling around her neck to her face and a faint clicking noise filled the otherwise silent cave.

Alexis was caught between being impressed at Lia's drive, or shaking her head at the (supposedly) smart girl's stupidity.

" Don't fall off." She called as she wandered off to a dark space to the right. A distracted 'Got it!' was the only answer she received. She glanced down at the line she was following, seeing how it curved over and continued.

' _Guess it is a circle_.' She thought distantly, taking note of the second curve that was running parallel to the first. In the space between, several other lines seemed to be breaking up the space in pattern of almost rectangle shapes, save for two instances, at what Alexis assumed to be the top and bottom of the circle, where there were triangles, not the parallel lines of the other shapes. If she glanced down to the other side of the circle within the larger circle, she could see two smaller circles cut into part of the rectangle, and extending out into the disk the second line made. Two holes, one near her and one at the dead center of the circle, broke up the special patterns that seemed to have been established with the lines. Alexis moved closer to the hole in the middle for inspection, and had just glanced over at two smaller holes linked to the one at the top by criss-crossing lines that extended out over the disk and into the triangles at the other end of the circle, when a small cry of pain drew her attention.

She whipped around and darted back to where Lia sat on the spike, the cloud finally passing overhead and allowing the cave to be bathed in moonlight at last. The rocks shone blue in the light and Alexis looked up to the brunette who was carefully edging down off the rock, her feet dangling in thin air over the fallen rock she'd used to climb up. She gulped, and let go, landing on surprisingly light feet on the rock, and wobbling her way down. Alexis ran over, eyes wide with concern.

" Are you okay?"

" Oh, yean, I'm fine." Lia smiled a weak, unconvincing smile. " I just banged my head on the way down, that's all."

Alexis looked at her incredulously, eyes fixed on the way Lia's smile was just a little too bright to be entirely truthful.

" Do you want me to look at it?" She offered. Lia immediately shook her hand, and rubbed the top of it.

" No no, I'm alright." She waved it off, fiddling with her camera to avoid eye contact. " I've had much worse, trust me."

Alexis opened her mouth to dispute Lia's claim, but the pleading look in the younger girl's eyes stopped her.

" Fine." She huffed, and turned away, missing the grateful look Lia sent her. " So, did you notice anything while you were up th-"

She was abruptly cut off by a black mist slowly creeping into the cave around them.

" What the…?" Alexis whispered as the damp blackness gathered around her feet.

"Diable?!" Lia snarled, and Alexis looked over to see the mist slowly making its way _up_ the French girl's leg and curling around her waist.

"Qu'est-ce que c'est?!" Lia squealed as the mist rose higher and higher on her body. Alexis felt a squeeze around her mid section and looked down in horror to see the mist coiling around her body as well. With frantic movement, she pushed at the surprisingly heavy substance. Her hands slipped through the billowing blackness at her waist, and suddenly felt cold and wet. She yanked them back to find them covered in a thick, dark purple slime. She stared at them in disgust until the fact registered in her mind and she shook them in a panic to rid them of the ooze. Behind her, she heard Lia stumble and fall onto the rock floor, swearing so colourfully and so fluently in French that Alexis had no chance to even try to understand what the other girl was hollering about. The mist shot up her chest and Alexis writhed on the spot, trying to dislodge it, but the thing (she refused to call it mist anymore, because mist didn't _do this_!) only wrapped itself tighter around her struggling body. Her blood ran cold as Lia gave a short-lived shriek, only to have it silenced with chilling suddenness. Alexis tried to turn her head back to look at the girl, but the whatever it was had reached her neck and held her head firmly where it was. Something squeezed and her air was cut off. Choking and fighting off the first stirrings of drowsiness from her body, Alexis craned her head down to see a heavy black hand curling around her throat, oozing the thick, purple slime from before.

As the hand tightened, Alexis cursed the fact that she was forced to play the damsel in distress, and let out an ear-splitting scream.

Something had clonked her on the back of the head, and she tipped forward, scream dying on her lips.

As the darkness settled in, she swore she heard a deep, humourless chuckle.

**_**

When Lia awoke, she couldn't see, couldn't move, and, most importantly, couldn't _breathe_.

A few quick shouts that led to muffled squawks had her coming to the conclusion that she was probably gagged. She tried to wiggle her arms and legs, and wasn't overly shocked to find that there was a certain, rough pressure on her wrists and ankles, and that, if she twisted her wrists too much, a harsh fiber dug into her sensitive skin. Blinking her eyes s few times yielded the conclusion that she wasn't blindfolded at all; it was just incredibly dark in wherever she was incarcerated.

She moved her body sideways, as much as her bindings would allow, and bumped into a padded wall with barely any wriggling. Trying the same actions on the other side led to the same confrontation with a padded, silky soft wall. She raised her hands a little off her body, and thunked them against a heavy, presumably wooden roof, resting barely a few centimeters off of her immobile body. The realization coursed through her as fast and hard as any electrical current, and once again tested her ability to remain calm.

' _Je suis dans un cercueil. Je suis DANS un CERCUEIL. Je suis vivant, et je suis dans un cercueil__._'

A horrible thought occurred to her that stunned her out of the urge to bang loudly against the door.

' _Est-ce que j'ai été vivant enterré?_' The though quelled all others, before the urge to panic returned ten fold. She took several deep breaths through her nose (the only place that she could breathe through that _wasn't_ covered up by some cheap, rough cloth), and tried to calm her racing heart. After several long minutes of just listening to herself breathing in the small, dark space, Lia managed to allow her breathing to shallow out to a normal depth, and turned her attention to the rather urgent (but not urgent enough to make her lose her head) matter at hand.

She couldn't, not for the life of her, figure out how exactly she had ended up in a coffin.

' _Le pierre, les photos, le cercle__…_' She mulled over in her head as the dank blackness settled in over her in the padded coffin. ' _La…la brume noire…_'

That awful, slimy choking hand, curling around her throat and choking off her air bit by little bit, with that horrible, wet feeling of the oozing dribbling down her neck, over her collar bone and down her chest…

Lia shook her head, trying to rid herself of the image and feel of that horrible encounter.

'_Vous avez des choses plus importantes à inquiéter environ maintenant_!'

She reached up with her bound hands, and felt around the place where she supposed her upper lip was for the edge of the cloth that was tied around her mouth. With a tug, it came sliding off of her face, and Lia gasped in a few gulps of air. She lay there in the darkness for a little while, just staring up at where she knew the roof of the coffin to be, trying to decide what to do next. She brought her hands to her newly freed mouth, and tried to tug at the rope with her teeth, but to no avail. The knot was tight and the rope was both slippery and rough on her tongue. With a defeated sigh, she wiggled her legs around, trying to bring one ankle over the other to shift the rope around, hoping to loosen it. In the midst of her shuffling, she nearly screamed out loud when a voice cut through the depressing empty silence of her unwilling entombment.

" And now, I'll destroy your Pandemonium card!"

Jaden's voice shouted out something Lia couldn't quite follow (but it was probably one of those ridiculous attack names for the monsters that people seemed to think sounded so cool, but in her opinion were too long and unnecessary), and then there was an explosion that rocked the wherever they were, and she was thrown (rather painfully) against the side of the coffin. She supposed, when she managed to right herself, that she was grateful for the padding, but the force behind the throw still hurt. Cursing Jaden and his need for theatrics, she set to banging against the sides and roof of the coffin, shouting at the top of her lungs.

" Hey, guys!" She let her voice rise several pitches, smirking to herself as she thought about the number of eardrums she was going to pierce before she was freed. " A little _help_ might be nice!"

There was a dead silence that worried Lia more than she'd have like to admit, and then,

" Lia!" She had never been so happy to hear Syrus' telltale squeak. " You're okay!"

" I'm in a _coffin_ with my hands and feet _bound_!" She shouted into the dark. " _How_ do you classify that as _okay_?!"

" Well, you're talking, aren't you, Ra Girl?" That was Chumley's slow, to the point rumble, muffled by the wall of her cage. If she hadn't been so annoyed at the lack of action going on, she would have been happier to hear it.

" I'd rather be able to move my arms!"

" Well, what can we do about that?" Syrus was back. " Jaden is dueling for you and Alexis, 'cause your souls are trapped in the Shadow Realm."

" Didn't Jay say it was a scam?"

" Well, yeah, but how can he tell?"

" I think we should trust his judgment. Maybe Titan really is just faking it."

" The only thing I'm trapped it in is this freakin' coffin." Lia said slowly, through gritted teeth. " And the only thing shadowy about it is that there is no light, because you two are too busy arguing and fawning over Jaden to get this lid off and _help me_!"

Though she couldn't see it, the imagined image of their shared wince over the almost dog whistle pitch her voice had reached made her smile in sadistic delight.

" …We can't." Chumley explained. He said it as slowly as he possibly could, as if to draw it out and hold off her response, because he thought the fact that no one could remove the top of the coffin she was trapped in wouldn't go over too well with the feisty French girl.

It didn't.

" _What_?!!?" She shrieked, and she could almost see the boys covering their ears. She tussled around with the ropes in the small space, and rolled over to face the direction of their voices. " What do you mean, 'You can't.'?!"

" Lia, that you?"

Lia took a deep breath and mentally counted to ten as she answered Jaden's casual call.

" Who else would it be, seeing as how everybody seems to _not_ be in a coffin?"

" Lex is in one too." Jaden called, and Lia was surprised to hear a grunt escape him, and then there was the sound of another explosion, and feet running along the smooth stones. Lia heard Jaden give a shout about something, then was a 'whirring' noise that made her stomach turn over, because it reminded her of mist and ooze and dark hands clasping at her windpipe. She shook herself and pressed her ear against the side of the coffin, desperate to hear something. Running feet, shouts, a crackle of electricity and everything shook for a few seconds, and Syrus shouted Jaden's name.

And then everything was quiet.

* * *

First off, let me apologize most profoundly. *gets on hands and knees and starts crying* I'm soooooo sorry! I was super sick on Thursday night, and then I had my math exam the next morning, and I was too tired on Friday to upload anything, and well, I just kept forgettting today. But here it is! Better late than never, right? ....RIGHT?

On a more positive note, I jsut finished my first semester of the year! Grade 12 is half over! And that was pretty much the last math course I'll ever have to take! (Not that I don't like math, but I have a...rocky relationship with Advanced Functions. ....stupid First Principles...*grumbles*) Now that that's out of my system, how about some translations?

Diable?! - From what the translator told me, it's basically 'What the Hell?!' or 'What the-'

Qu'est-ce que c'est - What is this? (Do I really have to translate this?)

_Je suis dans un cercueil. Je suis DANS un CERCUEIL. Je suis vivant, et je suis dans un cercueil._' - I'm in a coffin. I'm in a COFFIN. I'm alive, and I'm in a coffin.

' _Est-ce que j'ai été vivant enterré?_' - Have I been buried alive?

' _Le pierre, les photos, le cercle... __La…la brume noire…_' - The cave (At least, I THINK this is what it means.), the photos, the circle...the...the black mist.

'_Vous avez des choses plus importantes à inquiéter environ maintenant_!' - You have more important things to be worrying about right now!

Lia covering herself up - This is important. And before you jump to conclusions, no, she is NOT a victim of domestic violence.

The five dollars - I plan on bringing this back. ...Eventually.

The rune circle - Trust me, this is important. Very important. ...Important.

Other than that, I'm feeling really lazy tonight (ah, the wind-down after exams), so that's all you're gonna get. (Again, I'm sorry, but at least this means I'll have time to finish writing Year One.) ....Half-way done grade 12!

MoS


	9. The Conclusion

Warning: Chazz and Lia get snippy with each other...again. ...Can't they go one chapter without being at each other's throats?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

It wasn't until several minutes after Jaden disappeared into the strange, dark sphere, glowing a faint golden colour, that the coffin next to the one that held Alexis started emitting a great deal of banging and scraping noises.

Chazz had been (almost palpably against his will) impressed by Jaden's skills. A clearly superior opponent (but then again, Chazz himself had fallen under that category too. Jaden appeared to be very unlucky when it came to picking his opponent. But -and Chazz _hated_ him for this- it was balanced out by Jaden being _very_ lucky in his duels as well), and Jaden was holding his own. He hadn't panicked, hadn't let the sicko who'd claimed he'd locked Alexis (and Lia by association, but then, Chazz honestly didn't give that much of a damn about her. He was only worried he might be the one held responsible if the Academic got herself hurt) in the Shadow Realm get to him in any way. Jaden had spent a majority of the duel arguing the existence of such a place back and forth with the duelist, a hulking mass of muscle and clichés and all around freaky-ness who went by the name of Titan. And while Chazz would swear under oath that he saw parts of both Jaden's and Titan's body vanish into the black mist that had crept up onto their chosen arena, Jaden claimed that it was all a sham, and he could still see the arm attached to the hand everyone else had claimed was floating in mid air with nothing to hold it up. At that point, Jaden had started to glow for the first time, and the mist had receded back to wherever it had come from.

It was at that point that Chazz had decided that enough most certainly was enough, and had marched over to where he knew the coffins were, trying to distinguish which hole led to Alexis' and which one led to the bitchy French girl's.

Jaden solved part of the problem by destroying the Pandemonium card, and revealing the coffins, and the Academic had solved the other problem by coming to and shouting for the slacker club to help her. Chazz had considered, for just an instant, helping her out (she sounded trapped and small in the coffin, and twinge of fear in her voice was grating on Chazz's last nerve), but then he shook his head and went back to trying to push the lid off of the coffin that he now knew held the girl he liked.

" Somebody tell me what the _hell_ is going on out there!" A furious female voice erupted from the coffin next to him. Chazz scoffed.

" And that's your business, _how_, again?" He sneered, for the sole purpose of riling the girl up when she couldn't possibly retaliate.

" Oh damnit!" Her muffled voice came again. "And here I was so hoping that you'd been eaten or something."

" Tough luck, sweetheart." He pushed again on the lid, but it wouldn't budge. If he had been less preoccupied with the fact that the coffin was sealed shut and he was incapable of getting to Alexis, Chazz might have found it interesting that Lia had woken up from whatever the freaky duelist had done to her, but Alexis was still, apparently, out of it. As it was, he was far too interested in getting Alexis out to notice and take note of Lia's consciousness.

" Yeah, I guess I can understand why you're still alive." Her voice mused. " I mean, with all the hair gel you use, you can't taste very good."

" I don't use gel!" Chazz snarled, and violently kicked her coffin in the hopes of disturbing the Academic. The plan failed, as all his efforts got him was a throbbing toe from the heavy wood that hadn't yielded an inch.

" Did you just try to kick my coffin?"

" No!"

" You did, didn't you?" Even through the thick wood, Chazz could hear her laughter. " You hurt your foot, didn't you?"

" Laugh it up, Frenchy!" He rubbed his aching foot. " But you can forget about me helping you out of that coffin now!"

" Like you were gonna help me in the first place!"

" …Oh, just shut up!"

And so, their second confrontation went to Lia.

" You're trapped in a coffin, but you still have the energy to argue with Chazz?" Syrus asked as he jogged up to where the two girls lay incarcerated. " Now I know you're okay."

" Shut up, and push."

The two remaining members of the slacker club immediately began to push at the lid of the coffin, because, as far as Chazz could tell, the deadly tone Lia's voice had taken had finally spurred the boys into a long delayed reaction. They gave several hard shoves to the top, but the lid was unyielding to their efforts and merely groaned as it held fast to the top of the coffin. From inside the confines, the Academic girl hazarded to give a shout to her would-be rescuers.

" I know I'm probably going to regret asking this," She started and Chazz snorted in agreement from his position by the coffin that held Alexis, " but how is the removing the lid thing going?"

" Seeing as how you're still trapped in the dark, sweetheart, I'd say badly."

" I'm sorry, did I _ask_ for your input?" The muffled voice snarled scathingly. Chazz found himself admitting privately that, if he hadn't been so used to his brothers' harsh verbal abuse, he might have backed away from the sheer chill in her voice.

" If I want to know how a jackass feels about my situation, I'll ask." Lia continued, and Chazz could almost _feel_ the ice forming in the air. " Other than that, keep your trap shut, understand?"

Chazz laughed coldly and rapped his knuckles along the edge of her wooden cage.

" Kinda hard for you to be intimidating where you're sealed up tight in a package, hun." He sneered, and ran a pale finger over the hinges that connected the lid and the box itself. " I could probably slap a stamp on you and send you off to Antarctica, if I wanted to."

He honestly expected her to freak. Trapped in a small, dark space, with her hands bound and having no clue as to what was happening on the outside, he suspected that the calm she'd held onto for so long was finally starting to slip. He waited for a dry sob, or a muffled cry, of even a violent curse or threat that would indicate that she had finally lost her cool and was just as panicked, just as frightened, just as freaked out by the dark house and strange noises and the long shadows around them as anyone else. Over the coffin top, the pipsqueak shot him a furious glare, a silent warning to stop prodding at the friend trapped with no visible way out. Chazz merely smirked and let the boy's look roll off him like water off of a duck's back.

He was slightly startled and unwillingly admiring when the only sign of the girl's fear was the barely there tremour in her voice when she next spoke.

" S-Sure. Anything to be far away from you."

He scowled at her bravery and leaned heavily on Alexis' coffin.

" You could be helping us with getting her out, you know." Syrus hissed as he shoved with of his (admittedly miniscule) might.

" And be forced to see her face again?" Chazz shrugged his shoulders and laughed in his cruel manner again. " No thanks! I'd say the covering is an improvement!"

" Yeah, because you're opinion actually _means something_ in the long run." Came the retort. Chazz eyed the coffin, and lamented the fact that, with Alexis out, his only shot at good conversation was with the Wicked Bitch of Ra Yellow.

" My opinions happen to mean a lot more than yours do."

" Hate to break it to you, _cheri_, but being an asshole doesn't make what you say anymore important. It just gives other people more of a reason to ignore you."

Her callous response struck a cord somewhere in him. Hadn't his brothers snapped something similar to him only weeks ago? Hadn't he been forced, time and time again, to prove those words wrong? Hadn't he moved passed being called ignorable, unimportant, _weak_?! Who did this girl think she was, this little bitch who wouldn't have known a spell card from a trapped card from a monster in defense mode? Something in him yielded with the heat his rage gave him, and struck out with a complete and total lack of self-control.

" I'm a Princeton." He seethed. " My thoughts carry a lot more weight than some no name, non-important, flat-chested, ugly, little French _bitch_, with no friends, no love life, and no hope of ever getting any in her _life_!"

There was a deadly silence as his words echoed on over the stone chamber, bouncing back and forth on the damp, shining rocks. Syrus and Chumley looked at him, dumbfounded, the shock of his assault not quite yielding into fury. Syrus opened and closed his mouth several times and Chazz watched, in surprise, as the silvery orbs behind his glasses darkened considerably with rage and the boy stomped forward, around the coffin, until he was facing Chazz. The shorter boy grit his teeth and clenched his fists and Chazz was startled to find no trace of the quaking, shivering scaredy-cat that Jaden had dragged along into the house just hours before.

" _You sorry little_-" Syrus began, his voice lower than anyone had ever heard it, but a loud CRACK interrupted him. Both boys turned to the coffin that held the irate Ra girl to find a thin but long, steadily growing spider web crack stretching out from near the end of the coffin. A furious, determined thumping noise could be heard from inside. Chumley was backing away from the tomb, his beady eyes wide and fearful as the cracks grew and the thumping noise increased with an almost manic force. Just under the sound of the thuds the whatever inside was making against the lid, Chazz swore he heard a voice hissing darkly, and he was pretty sure a majority of what it was saying were not things that could be repeated in polite conversation.

With a loud 'Uuph!' the lid split clean down the centre into two separate pieces, and Lia Shanner's brown head popped out in between the crack, shifting her shoulders about to make more room. As if spurred into action by instinct, not thought, Chumley darted forward and started hauling away at the pieces of wood, mindless of the splinters he may receive. Lia shot him a grateful look, and Chazz was surprised to see that the hands she brought up to help push were tightly bound together with a coarse looking rope. The girl winced as the pushing caused her wrists to rub onto the makeshift handcuffs, but other than that, she gave no outward appearance of her obvious discomfort.

Chazz was willing to bet that he would have made some kind of arrogant, mean comment in a split second, had Jaden not come tumbling out of the hole in the great sphere of dark matter they'd all forgotten about, directly behind him.

**_**

When Jaden followed the Winged Furball (his affectionate nickname for Winged Kuriboh) out of the crackling blue-black void around him, he certainly did not expect to come tumbling out into a growling Chazz. As it was, he ended up in a tangled, irritated heap with a blue jacketed, dark eyed, snarling duelist cushioning his fall.

Jaden let out a loud yelp as he went careening out of the thick darkness into a slightly more lighted area. Behind him, Titan gave a low moan that was abruptly (and chillingly, in Jaden's opinion) cut off with merciless swiftness. Jaden felt one of the small black lumps that had invaded the space after the duel curl around his ankle, but the heat that had engulfed his body before in the duel came rushing back, and Jaden glance to his ensnared foot to see a flickering golden light dancing over his shoes. He blinked, and the light vanished, and he hauled his foot out along with the rest of him. The momentum caused his to tip forward, and he came flying out into the stone hollow he'd been dueling in not moments before.

He flailed his arms in a desperate attempt to stay upright, but the weight if his body propelled him forward and he landed with a thump, not on the cold hard stone that he'd been expecting, but something soft and slightly warm instead.

Jaden tilted his head in confusion at the softness of the ground beneath him, and reached down with one of his hands (the one without the duel disk on it) to prod at whatever it was he was sitting on.

" Slacker, if you want to live to see the sunrise, you will get off of me _right now_." A dangerously low voice growled out.

Jaden yelped again and practically flew off of the body under him. A vague memory of hands clamped around his throat and the fury in those grey eyes had him scrambling backwards, trying to put some space between him and the currently enraged boy. If Chazz noticed Jaden's hasty and panicked retreat, he gave no indication of it, and Jaden managed to calm his racing heart to a more bearable rate.

" Oh, nice!"

His head shot up to look over Chazz's form, where Chumley and Syrus stood, staring at him as though he'd dropped from the sky (he may as well have, looking at where the end of the duel had taken place). But the voice had been female, and so he squinted to look behind Syrus, where there was a flicker of brown. The flicker moved, and Lia, her hair mussed and coming out of its ponytail, and her entire face lit up with malicious delight, came into view.

Honestly, with all the anxiety and worry he'd been put through in the last half hour as Titan had locked his two female friends away in heavy coffins, it was no wonder Jaden reacted the way he did.

" Koneko-chan!" He practically squealed (practically, because he couldn't make his voice go that high. Syrus could though.) and raced forward on unsteady legs. Lia seemed to be confused at his shout, and tilted her head in that kitten-like manner to the side, just as Jaden whipped passed a still stunned Syrus, and threw his arms around her.

Lia stiffened considerably as his arms wrapped tightly around her, but, in his relief at her safety, Jaden didn't notice. He hugged her to him, relishing in the steady pounding of her heart and the sound of her breath rushing out of her. She was warm and heavy and real and for all his boasts that he didn't believe in the Shadow Realm, to have at least one of his friends back and safe was a blessing.

" Stop it!" Lia hissed, struggling against his grip. " Cut it out! This isn't a joke, stop hugging me!"

She squirmed and pushed her wrists against where he had them pinned to his chest. Glancing down, he finally caught sight of the rope encasing the two pale hands.

He immediately let her go, staring in horror at the bindings.

" He…He tied you two up?" Jaden managed weakly, looking in muted disgust at the ropes along her wrists.

" I don't know about Alexis," Lia started, trying to haul herself up out of the coffin, " but yeah, I'm gonna have some serious rope burns by the end of tonight."

" Why haven't you gotten out yet?"

" Maybe because her feet are tied up too?" Chazz snarled as he walked over, rubbing his sore back and glaring at the company at large. " If that bastard did to Alexis what he did to the French Bitch," the three other boys stiffened, " then there will be _Hell_ to pay."

Jaden turned back to where Chumley was helping Lia balance herself as she pulled her bound feet out.

" Your ankles too?" He asked softly. Abruptly, Lia seemed to piece together the softness of his voice and the sickened look in his eyes. She whipped around to stare at him, nearly falling off the edge of the coffin. Chumley steadied her with a sure arm, but she didn't take her eyes off of Jaden.

" Thanks." She said stiffly. Jaden looked at her in shock. " I…what I mean is…you got us out, right?" She smiled a weak, encouraging smile. " You…you fought…for me and Alexis, right? You… You…" she stumbled, trying to find the proper words, " …You saved us, didn't you?"

She looked at him pleadingly, and suddenly, the meaning behind her struggle to find the words made perfect sense to him.

' _She doesn't want me to blame myself for this._' He realized, staring into a pair of hazel eyes that were gentler than he'd ever seen them before. ' _She doesn't want me to feel bad about what happened._'

An unexpected warmth broke over him like a wave.

' _Lia needs a friend who's willing to protect her._' Jaden let a small, grateful smile spread across his face.

' _Even if she isn't willing to let them._'

**_**

Several attempts at pushing, hauling, and careful smashing (none of the boys were quite sure exactly _how_ Lia had managed to break through the lid of her coffin, but, seeing the punch she'd delivered to Chazz's face as soon as Chumley had managed to free her ankles and wrists, Jaden had a few ideas, most of which made him wince at the thought), the four managed to removed Alexis from her tomb and set her carefully down against of the upright rocks on the edge of the circle (Lia said she'd show them her pictures after they were developed). After than, as Syrus had glumly pointed out, there was nothing really to do but wait for the blonde to wake up, and then pray no one had noticed their absences when they went back to the dorm.

Chumley, bored and his leg falling asleep, had started walking around the perimeter of the cave, touching the sides and staring up at the dark sky through the skylight. Syrus and Jaden, for lack of anything better to do, had started going through each other's decks, talking and flipping cards down onto the smooth floor of rock. Alexis lay unconscious several meters away, propped up against the rock, and Lia sat next to her, staring off idly into space and running her fingers absent mindedly over her camera. Chazz sat by another rock across from the Academic, alternating between glaring at her, and glaring at Jaden and then glaring at Lia again.

" Like I'd let you sit next to her while she can't tell you no." The younger girl had sneered.

The gathering storm clouds on Chazz's face had been well worth the jibe.

" How'd you find us?" Lia asked abruptly, interrupting the incredulous look Jaden was giving Syrus as the younger boy was saying something. Both turned to look at her, and, across the space, Chumley stopped staring at the skylight to eye her. Chazz scoffed and turned away.

" We heard you scream, sweetheart, what else?"

Lia leveled him with cold eyes.

" I was cut off by…" She trailed off, and ran a hand over her throat. She shook her head, as if trying to rid herself of an unpleasant memory. From the dark marks beginning to form at the base of her neck, the boys could only assume it was. " I was cut off." She finished, still fingering one of the forming bruises.

" So who let out that shriek we heard?" Jaden asked, sternly looking over at Syrus as he shoved a card into the smaller boys hands. Syrus frantically shook his head, but Jaden kept shoving the thing at him. " 'Cause Chazz an' me heard it and came running."

" But how did you know we were down _here_?" Lia gestured to the echoing space around her. Jaden's face paled and dropped, and he avoided looking at anyone.

" Chazz and me…" He trailed off, glancing over to where Chazz had gone very quiet and very still. " Chazz and me…we heard you pass by…and you said you were going to the basement…so we kinda figured…I mean, not even Syrus can scream that high pitched, right?"

He laughed nervously, and grinned at the blue-haired boy's glare, either ignoring, or not seeing the vicious look Lia shot a surprisingly subdued Chazz.

" So what, you came racing down here to play the hero?" Lia asked with a roll of her eyes, looking away from Chazz's guilty grey ones.

Jaden grinned at her from where he sat with Syrus, once again trying to push the little rectangle of a card into the boy's unwilling hands.

" It's what I do."

Lia rolled her eyes again, but there was a dry, small smile on her face as she looked away from him, and over to where Chumley was meandering back towards the group.

" What about you?"

" Huh?" Chumley asked, shaking his head as if he had just been snapped out of a dream.

" How'd you find us?"

" Heard someone scream." The large boy shrugged. " Syrus and I decided it probably came from down stairs, and we ran down to see."

" We bumped into Jaden and Chazz on the way down." Syrus rubbed his shoulder. " Literally, bumped into them."

" They told us you guys were in the basement, and we all decided it would be better to go as a group."

" I know what you're gonna say." Jaden said quickly as Lia opened her mouth. " And yes, I know I pulled the worst horror movie move ever when I suggest we split up." He pressed the card one last time into Syrus' hands, and before the boy could protest, closed the small fingers around it. " But come on, we're all alive, aren't we?"

" Barely." Syrus mumbled; but he slid the card back into his deck and shifted to look at the two girls. " How's Alexis?"

" From what I can tell," Lia said as she felt for the other girl's pulse, " fine, just not up yet."

" Hey." Chumley's slow voice startled her as he sat down on the other side of Alexis. Across from them, Chazz made a choking motion with his hands, then turned over so that he wouldn't have to talk to any of the other occupants.

" How come you're awake, but Alexis isn't?"

The question hung in the air, stunning the five teens into complete silence. Lia looked over at Chumley, blinking her hazel eyes, and tilting her head over to one side as she mulled the question. She bit her lip as they all, including Chazz (whose face was starting to bruise on the side on which she'd decked him) looked at her curiously.

" I…I don't know." She said, sounding, for the first time, unsure and frightened. " I guess…I guess she just got clonked harder on the head than I did. Or…maybe my head's harder than hers, or something…"

She looked at them helplessly.

" I've really got no idea."

" Maybe you're just special." Syrus offered. Lia turned away to hide the barest hint of a blush that spread over her cheeks.

" Special." She muttered. " Yeah, right."

She was honestly waiting for Chazz to make some cruel, offhanded comment about what Syrus had said, and twist the words around until they were condemning, not complimentary, as Syrus had meant them. When no gravely, rough voice spoke up, Lia turned to look at the older Obelisk, and felt something cold settle into her stomach.

" Guys." She said, fighting to keep her voice steady and calm. " Where's Chazz?"

The three Slifers spun around to look at the place where the dark haired Obelisk had last been to find it completely empty.

" Oh c'mon!" Jaden groaned as he hauled himself to his feet. " You've got to be kidding me!"

He darted over to where Chazz had been, scowling (or, as close to scowling as was possible for him) as he looked around for any sign of the older boy.

" Did anybody see him leave?" Syrus squeaked frantically, whipping his head back and forth as if he expect Chazz to pop out from behind a rock.

" No, we were too busy wondering why I was awake and Sleeping Beauty here," Lia jabbed a sarcastic thumb at Alexis, " was still snoring away."

" She isn't snoring." Jaden corrected her innocently. Lia let her forehead fall to connect to the palm of her hand with a smack, muttering in unflattering French under her breath.

" What I mean is- you know what, nevermind, it would be lost on you."

" What would-"

" Jay, just let it go."

" You too, Sy?"

" Can we focus people?! We've got a missing person on our hands!"

" I think we should get Alexis outta here." Chumley butted in, thoughtful look on his face. " I mean, she's the most vulnerable, right? She can't even fight back if someone were to sneak up on her."

" Good point." Jaden nodded. " We should get her out into the open air outside. That might wake her up." He glanced around at the company. " So who's gonna carry her?"

**_**

No one was too surprised when Chumley offered to carry the blonde girl out. Of the four remaining teenagers, he was the only one with anything resembling muscle mass. Syrus was scrawny and Jaden would be the first to admit that he really didn't have all that much bulk under his red jacket, muscle or otherwise. And, while the three boys knew better than to say it out loud, none of them were about to make Lia do any heavy lifting (not that Alexis could really be considered heavy; she was, however, a fair bit taller than the other girl, and that would make for an uncomfortably ride).

What did surprise them was the warmth with which Chumley insisted Lia come with him.

" I'll have my hands full, I can't fight back if something attacks me!" He pleaded. " And she's got 'licious aim!" He gestured over to where Lia stood, eyeing him as if he may rush her. " She can totally protect the two of us."

" You sure you don't just wanna be alone with a pretty girl in a scary house?" Jaden couldn't have resisted, not even if he had tried."

Chumley had turned and interesting shade of red, but Lia had scoffed and said, quite coldly,

" Then why is he insisting I come along? He'd be alone with a Alexis if I wasn't there, right?"

" You're pretty." Syrus had said slowly, eyes widening as Lia shook with humourless laughter.

"Je suis beaucoup de choses, mais je ne suis pas jolie, comprenez?"

As it was, Lia ended up walking out next to Chumley as he held Alexis up and carried her out of the cave. Her flashlight and several pointed rocks in hand, Lia gave the two remaining boys a goodbye wave and heartily expressed her belief that they should just leave Chazz to his fate, and go back to their dorms.

Jaden waved her off, watching the light of their flashlights vanish into the tunnel that led out of the cave.

" Okay." He turned to his accomplice. " So where should we start?"

" Well, I guess he's not here, so I guess we could start-"

" By explain what you two are doing out of bounds at this time of night?"

Both Jaden and Syrus gave a terrified yelp, and whipped around to look into the triumphant face of Dr. Crowler.

* * *

Hey, everyone! Yeah, I'm cutting it close, but at least it's actually Friday this time! And there are no translations, as far as I could tell. Oh, wait, here's one:

Je suis beaucoup de choses, mais je ne suis pas jolie, comprenez - I'm lots of things, but I'm not pretty, understand? Oh, Lia sweetie!

Lia: Shut up. I'm not speaking to you.

What did I do?

Lia: You turned me into a sap in this chapter! What happened to my icy exterior?! My brisk mannerisms?! My whole character?!

Honey, it's called developement. You're still there, but you're starting to thaw. And...

Lia: And what?

And...there's just something about Jaden...something you instictively...trust...yeah, let's go with that.

Lia: I swear to GOd that if you are setting me up on one of those overused romance plots, so help me...

Relax, it's too early in the game to make calls like that yet. And I have a plan for your lovelife, don't you worry.

Lia: ...I hate you.

I know you do. So there you have it! The end of the Abandoned Dorm Arc, a wicked cliffhanger (I'm getting good at those, aren't I?), and some developement, all around.

Unril next Friday, then.

MoS


	10. The Interrogation

Warnings: Some swearing, some Alexis yelling, and _Zane_ developement. (My God, that boy is just so much fun to write!) Other than that, nothing, really.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" _Expulsé__?!_"

The shout exploded in the empty second story hallway of Duel Academy, echoing over the metallic halls and large windows that opened up onto the vast green space that stretched out into the great blueness that was the ocean that surrounded Academy Island on all sides. The sun was shining bright, and the hallway (which was still echoing from the sheer shrillness of the shout) was light up and warm.

Two girls stood in the hallway, but instead of basking in the heat the sun provided for them, they looked harried and frightened and more than a little irritated. One of the girls, a tall, leggy blonde in a blue and white uniform, had her hands pressed against her ears in an attempt to drown out the noise the other girl, a shorter brunette in a yellow jacket, had let out.

Alexis sighed as Lia stared, white faced and tight-lipped, at the blonde. She made several attempts to talk, each dying as no sound came from her open lips. She made inane motions with her hands, trying to convey the meaning she just couldn't seem to verbalize, but Alexis, it appeared, was in no mood for a game of charades.

" Look, I know this is a bit of a shock," Lia sputtered and tried to say something. Incoherent French poured from her open mouth, " but just listen to the whole story, okay?"

Lia gave her a skeptical look.

" You can freak out when I'm done, 'kay?"

" I don't 'freak out'." Lia huffed. " I 'become agitated'."

" Well, you're gonna be real 'agitated' after you hear this." Alexis leaned back against the wall and reached up with her hand to massage her temples. A blonde bang fell out of place onto the back of her hand, but she ignored it in favour of looking at her companion through her fingers.

" Crowler caught them."

" _Merde_!" Lia swore.

" My thoughts exactly." Alexis drew her hand away from her face and shook her head sadly. " He apparently just found them as they were about to go looking for Chazz."

" Yeah, that reminds me." Lia scowled. " How is the prick?"

" He casually hit on me without making it seem like he was actually doing it today in first period." Alexis gave a pitiful moan. " He's perfectly fine."

" Great, cross him off our list of 'People We Need to Panic About'."

" Like you were worried in the first place."

" Hey, I really was worried."

" For real?"

" Of course! God only knows that Crowler would have blamed anything that happened to the Asshole on me!"

" Ah, you had me worried there for a second. Thought you actually gave a damn about Chazz."

" …I'm going to be really nice, and pretend I didn't hear that." There was a slight pause. " But either way, Chazz is fine?"

" Yeah, yeah. Chazz good, Jaden and Syrus screwed."

" Explain to me exactly _how_ Crowler can get away with this."

" He's a teacher, not to mention a dorm Supervisor. He, unfortunately, wields enough power to set this up."

" And his favouritism is legendary. Dieu, we've got our own Snape."

Despite herself, and despite all the seriousness and anxiety building up inside of her, Alexis let a small chuckle escape her.

" You can say that again." Her head immediately shot up. " But don't."

" What do I look like, twelve?"

" Sorry. My brother would usu-"

Lia looked over as Alexis hastily cut herself off. She opened her mouth to ask, but a swift understanding surged through her and told her not to push the blonde until they were much better acquainted.

" Anyway," Lia began, facing the other way to give the older girl a chance to get control of herself again, " how did Crowler catch them?"

" That's what gets me." Alexis' voice was steady when she answered. " I mean, according to Jaden, he and Syrus just turned around, and there was Crowler!"

" It doesn't make any sense." Lia pondered, agreeing with the path Alexis' thoughts were taking. " There was only one way in and out of that cave thing, and Chumley and I took it when we carried you out."

" You should've run into him, is that what you're saying?"

" Exactly."

" That's what I've been thinking too." Alexis began pacing back and forth along the corridor. " Tell me exactly what happened when you and Chumley got out of the dorm."

Lia heaved a sigh.

" Not much." She reached up and fiddled with the curl that was always tumbling down over her face. " We got you out, set you down by the entrance, and started to wonder about Jaden and Syrus." Lia stopped fiddling and ran a finger through her dark hair. " We had just figured that we'd wait a few minutes, and then go back in for them, when you woke up."

" And then Chazz showed up, right?"

" You were there, don't you know?"

" I was just coming out of a semi-coma! I wasn't exactly paying attention to my surroundings!"

" Okay, okay, calmez-vous. Yes, that's when Chazz decided to grace us with his presence." Lia paused, and tapped her index finger to her chin. " Honestly, I could've done without it, but hey, he'd vanished and we were worried."

" That's what bugs me the most." Alexis finally stopped her pacing to look out the great window in front of her. " Let's recap: Jaden defeats this 'Titan' guy, who held you and me prisoner, right?"

" Yeah, that's what I was told." Alexis shot her a look. " I was trapped in a coffin, I couldn't see what was going on!"

" Okay, so Titan gets beaten by Jaden, you punch Chazz, we all settle down after you all get me out of my coffin. I'm unconscious…"

" And we all start wondering why I'm up and you're not."

" Right. Chazz…how did you guys notice Chazz was gone again?"

" I was expecting him to make some kind of bastard comment, and when he didn't I looked over at him to see what he was doing."

" And he wasn't there."

" Right."

"And we know there is only one way he could've left the cave."

" How do we know he left?" Lia said sternly. " How do we know he wasn't just hiding behind a rock the whole time?"

" He would've come out to held Crowler catch Jaden and Syrus."

" At the risk of getting caught himself?" Lia was skeptical. " I don't buy it."

" Crowler loves Chazz!" Alexis spat both names as if they left a bad taste in her mouth. " He'd never kick him out."

" So, what you're saying is, Chazz had nothing to lose by coming out, is that right?"

" Yeah."

" So he must've left, is that what you're saying?"

" Exactly." Alexis began pacing again. " How long do you think it took you guys to carry me out of that tunnel."

Lia blinked.

" Not long. Only a few minutes, really." She paused, eyeing the blonde. " Why?"

" Long enough for us to get out before Crowler came crawling in?"

Lia's lips didn't even twitch at the joke.

" No." She shook her head. " There was no way we wouldn't have passed each other. There wasn't enough time for us to even get to the door, let alone past in and into the hall before he came in, if Syrus and Jaden judged the time right."

" Let's just assume, for a second, that they are judging the time right," The tips of her blonde hair were whipping back and forth as she turned sharply. " You're saying there's no way that we wouldn't have seen Crowler come in, right?"

" Yes." Lia agreed slowly. " Where are you going with this?"

" Shh." Alexis hushed her without looking up. " Just let me talk for a little while. You and Chumley didn't see anybody, right?"

" The tunnel was empty." Lia stated.

" And there was no way you would have missed Crowler if he'd come, right?"

" Jaden said he was carrying a flashlight. We'd've seen that. Besides," and here, she was sneering, " when has Crowler ever been stealthy?"

" Yeah, yeah." Alexis muttered, lost in her musings. " The point is, you would've seen him, either you or Chumley, right?"

" Yes." Lia hissed in exasperation. " You mind letting me in on the big discovery?"

" You know, Lia, it's not good to disturb someone when they're on a train of thought."

Lia gave a squeak and whipped around on unsteady feet to face the source of the voice. She hurled whatever it was that had been resting in her hands with stunning force as she turned, the air whistling around it until it came into contact with whatever it was that had startled the girl.

Lia stumbled on her own two feet and landed in a huddled crouch on the floor, arms thrown out to steady herself. She looked up into the amused face of Bastion Misawa, who was holding her eraser in his hands.

" Nice shot." He commented.

Alexis was decidedly scowling at the boy in the Ra yellow jacket for interrupting her thought process, and so missed the slight pink that spread over Lia's pale cheeks. It was gone before either of the other occupants of the hallway could even register it, and Lia hauled herself up into a standing position, dusting off her clothes, even though the hallway was spotless, and her white turtleneck was a match. She held her hand out for the eraser without looking at him.

" My eraser, please."

Smiling benignly, and chuckling at her embarrassment (from her fall and reaction, of course), Bastian placed the small object into her open palm.

" Sorry to disturb you, ladies." He nodded to Lia. " And sorry to have startled you, but I couldn't help but overhear your pondering."

Alexis' normally pretty face darkened into an angry snarl.

" I lost my train of thought!" She accused, and Bastian immediately held up his hands in self defense.

" Allow me to find it for you again, in that case." He waved his hands back and forth in a sign of surrender. " You were talking about how Crowler would have been spotted by either Chumley or our lovely lady here." He jabbed his thumb at Lia. Lia turned an interesting shade, somewhere between pink and a light purple. She rolled her eyes at him, and fiddled with her eraser.

" Oh right. "Alexis seemed subdued enough to go back to her pacing. Bastian let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and smiled at Lia. She returned it with a small one as Alexis made another circle.

" So Crowler couldn't have gotten past us. So he must have been there _already_."

" He knew Jaden and Syrus and Chumley were going to be there." Lia said with wide eyes. " He knew they'd be there and he wanted to catch them."

"From what Jaden and Syrus have told me, coupled with what Chumley confirmed about your respective exits, including Chazz's, it seems to be the only logical explanation."

" But still," Lia pondered, twisting her eraser around in her hands, " it brings up the question-"

" How did Crowler know?" Alexis finished, before her eyes suddenly snapped open wide. Bastian's jaw tightened and the eraser dropped out of Lia's hands.

" You don't think…" The brunette began.

" Oh, I wouldn't doubt it for a second." Bastian growled, his face set in an uncharacteristically dark expression.

Alexis turned to her two companions, eyes as hard as daggers.

" I smell a set up."

**_**

Zane Trusedale was a man of few words, and even fewer actions. His reputation had long eliminated any threats to himself, and so he found that he had little to do outside of class. No one was stupid enough to challenge him to a duel, as his reputation always (_always_) preceded him, and most duelists ran for the hills whenever Zane came into focus. Besides dueling, there was really little else to do on an isolated tropical island, and while the Academics (and Atticus Rhodes, but he was a _strange_ one) usually found ways to occupy their time (ways that didn't involve cards or duel disks or life points. Zane didn't know whether he envied them, or pitied them), Zane was left with little to no homework at the end of every school day, and absolutely no way to kill time.

He supposed, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he could go and have a talk with Syrus (and with his brother, 'talk' usually meant Zane tearing Syrus down, whether he wanted to or not. The words just came naturally now, without him having to even consciously think of insults for his brother), but the tiny voice in his head that was all that remained of his common sense told him that going to see his brother wasn't a very good idea. Syrus had broken too many times under Zane's harsh words, had started crying too often for Zane's comfort, and as much as he called the boy pathetic, Syrus was still his brother, and Zane still cared about him enough to not want to see him crying (and as much as he would've loved to be able to tell Syrus all this, the words always became stuck in his throat, after years of being pushed down and disregarded, and twisted into something else, something a hell of a lot more cruel, whenever he tried to express them).

Something else held Zane back from going to see his younger brother. He'd caught glimpses of the boy around campus, nervously darting from class to class, flitting down the hallways like a fragile butterfly, a creature Zane was sure he could crush with one well place blow of his strong, unwavering hand. But something stopped him from acting on that vicious impulse, stopped him from destroying the glass pieces his brother had managed to put back together.

Syrus was _happy_.

There was a slight spring in his step, a certain lightness when he walked that Zane hadn't seen in his brother for what felt like a lifetime. Syrus may have been pale and sweaty and nervous, but his head was held high and his eyes weren't staring at the floor as often as when the brothers were children. Somehow, something was helping Syrus mend, and whatever it was, it gave off enough of a warning to Zane that he didn't dare disrupt it.

Distantly, usually when he walked back to the dorm after class, and had nothing better to think of (because the only girl he deemed worthy of his attention was Alexis, and while he'd never had a little sister, he was pretty sure being around her was what it was like), he would wonder what it was that was fixing all the damage he'd done to Syrus. He would wonder what or who had taken a look at his sniveling, shaking shell of a younger brother (your fault, your fault, his mind would often taunt him) and seen something worth saving and protecting.

Sometimes, he wondered if he wanted to know so that he could tell whoever it was to stop (because he was more than capable of looking after his own little brother) or to thank them (for undoing all his horrible mistakes when it came to Syrus). In the end, he would often suppose, it didn't really matter, because he suspected that he wasn't going to find out. Syrus had long ago stopped trusting his brother with anything, be it praise or information, lest he be shot down and ridiculed again (most nights, Zane pretended it didn't hurt. On certain nights, when he felt brave enough to confront himself and what he'd done, he felt sick). So if there was something in this place that was saving him, Syrus would do everything in his power to keep it from his big brother, for fear that Zane would find a way to destroy it or take it away, leaving Syrus alone and helpless to his cruel words.

So in truth, Zane never expected to find out what it was that was making his brother so happy.

That he ended up finding out after all made him apprehensive.

The manner in which he found out just plain scared him.

He was walking back to his dorm, idly wonder what they would be serving for lunch, and thinking about getting his entire Traps project done that weekend, when he heard the noises.

" Ouch!"

That was, by his best estimation, that idiot Chazz, probably stepping on a rock in his overly priced shoes or something. Zane snorted, and was about to go on his way when a second voice stopped him.

" I said talk you insufferable little maggot!"

' _Alexis_?' Zane thought, intrigued. He turned off the path that led to the entranceway, taking the smaller, less travel dirt road that led off to one of the forested areas near the dorms, brushing aside the thickly growing foliage. He blinked in surprise when he rounded a tree.

Chazz Princeton was kneeling down on one knee, the other being held by on his pale hands, his glaring eyes fixated on a brunette in a Ra jacket, who had her hands behind her back and was whistling innocently. Beside her, partially blocked by her yellow-garbed body, was Alexis, hands on her hips and eyes almost sparking with fury. Behind Chazz, cutting off any chance of escape, was another, bulkier body in yellow, his black hair slicked back from his head and his arms crossed over his chest, a sour expression on his face.

Chazz muttered something under his breath and the girl in yellow, faster than anyone (including Zane) could follow, gave a swift kick to his other knee. Chazz gave a howl and grabbed the injured area with his free hand. He glowered up at the Ra girl, his grey eyes challenging.

" Don't rough him up too much, Lia." Alexis warned, but made no move to pull the girl away from  
Chazz. The other girl, Lia, rolled her eyes and mimed swinging her foot at the downed boy.

" Calm down, Lia." The boy in yellow chided the still miming girl, but there was no real ire in his tone. He was smirking down at Chazz as the Obelisk boy cringed at the foot swinging too close to his face for comfort.

" Crazy French Bitch." Zane heard Chazz hiss.

" I take it back." Alexis said through clenched teeth. " Rough him up as much as you want to, Lia."

" And get dirt on my nice white turtle neck?" The other girl scoffed. " No way in hell. Not for _that_."

Chazz snarled something incoherent, and made to dart backwards, towards the dorms. The boy in yellow sprang up at the movement, and, in a blur Zane could quite catch, grabbed Chazz's retreating arm and spun him around so that he faced the girls again. The arm was twisted behind his back.

" I believe my associate asked you a question." He said in a steely voice.

"What are you, the Mafia?" Chazz quipped. The brunette, Lia, gave him a cold smirk.

" Keep mouthing off." She said sweetly, and the temperature around the foursome dropped. " Find out."

Zane blinked once, twice, and decided that yes, he was, in fact, curious.

" I hate to interrupt what promises to be an interesting fight," He drawled as he walked up, Chazz stopped giving the Ra girl the obscene gesture with his free hand, and the aforementioned girl snapped out of her furious glare to look at him, " but what is going on here?"

" Nothing you need to worry about Zane." Alexis hadn't turn to look at him, staring only at Chazz's form, which was being held captive by the still strong grip of the Ra boy (Zane had to admit, he was impressed at the boy's ability to keep a hold of Chazz, even with Zane's unannounced intrusion in their…gathering).

" You're holding a boy captive." He eyed Chazz with one raised eyebrow. " How is this something I don't have to worry about?"

" Just trust me."

Zane looked at Chazz's pleading face. He was willing to bet that the only thing stopping the other boy from screaming for help was the (undeniably painful) grip the Ra had on his arm.

" You're gang beating a student, and you want me to trust you?"

" Gang beating!" Alexis dissolved into a fit of giggles, as if the assumption was something that greatly amused her. Even so, Zane could tell they were forced. " G-gang beating! We're not gang beating him! We're just…getting a few answers from him."

" If you want, we can gang beat him after he confesses." The girl Alexis had called Lia piped up, sarcastic smile on her face.

" What?!" Chazz squawked.

" Oh wait, right, that would mean actual skin-on-skin contact." The girl mused. " Yeah, that's not happening."

" Like I'd let you lay a finger on me." Chazz scowled at her.

" Like I'd want to!

" Like I'd want you to want to!"

" Please, it would be the closest you would be getting to actually getting some."

" And what does that make it for you, chestless wonder?"

She punched him in the gut.

" Good ole fashioned anger management."

" Are they usually like this?" Zane asked, the first stirrings of apprehension swirling around in his gut. It as rare to find anyone who stood up to the Obelisks these days, and someone with such a violent temper would not be the best person to make an enemy out of.

" No." Alexis shook her head, and Zane was surprised to see a fond smile on her face. " Only when they get in close proximity to each other."

" If they're this annoying when they're close to each other, why recruit her-" he felt too presumptuous just outright saying her name without an introduction- " to…get some answers from Chazz?"

" Aren't you gonna _help_ me?" Chazz asked, incredulous, and Zane spared him a bored glance.

" I'll admit, I'm curious as to what you did to earn," he gestured all around them, " all this."

" I didn't _do_ anything!" Chazz insisted.

It was apparently the wrong thing to say.

Alexis whipped back to look at him, her eyes ablaze.

The other girl darted forward, three kinds of murder in her eyes and her hands clenched into fists, only to be stopped by the Ra boy.

The Ra boy took a deep breath, and then, calmer than Zane had ever seen anyone in his life, duelist or not, grabbed Chazz's side with his free hand, applied pressure, and _flipped_ Chazz clean in a circle. The boy spun like he was doing a cartwheel, and landed in a disoriented heap not two meters from where Zane was standing.

" You sold two of our friends out to Crowler." The boy said in an accented voice. " I think that merits a few bruises."

" Bruises? Try broken bones." Alexis hissed, crossing her arms and looking with ice in her eyes at Chazz. " You told Crowler where they were, didn't you? That's the only way Crowler could've known we were all there!"

" I didn't tell him anything!" Chazz protested, but the brunette cut him off.

" Menteur!" She spat in a low, rolling voice. " You told Crowler where they were, or else how could he have known?!"

" Maybe he over heard that they were going to the abandoned dorm!"

"And where would he have heard that, huh?"

" How about when he asked you to go with him in first period?"

The clearing went very quiet.

" …And just how do you know when Jaden asked me to go along with him and the boys?"

Chazz blanched, slapping his hands over his mouth as if it would undo his slip up. The three interrogators shared a look and then, as one person, moved forward, cracking their knuckles and baring their fangs. Chazz hurriedly scrambled back, but Zane blocked his way, amused by the sudden turn of events.

' _As long as I'm here, I might as well find out what's going on_.' He decided.

" Alright, alright." Chazz held a hand up to stall them. " I saw Dr. Crowler hovering outside your first period class on the way back from the bathroom. When I bugged him about it, he told me that the Slacker club was going to the abandoned dorm that night with the Wicked Bitch of Ra Yellow."

Zane hazarded to cast a look at the still sour looking brunette. She didn't look very vicious, but then he recalled her furious abuse of Chazz.

" He offered to let me follow them, and make sure they ran into some Shadow Duelist or something."

" That guy in the cave…" Alexis whispered.

" How could Crowler have known about him ahead of time…" Lia murmured.

" Unless he's the one who hired this man." The Ra boy concluded, his mouth set in an unpleasant line.

" I'm sorry," Zane interrupted, beginning to feel distinctly out of the loop, " but what are you all talking about?"

To his shock, however, he was ignored.

" It makes sense." The boy in yellow continued. " Think about it." He implored his accomplices. " Why did Jaden want to go to the abandoned dorm?"

Both girls looked puzzled.

" Jaden said…" the brunette started, " that they'd been telling scary stories…and then their dorm supervisor…the tall man with the weird accent…"

" Banner." Zane supplied before he even realized he had spoken. Once again, he was ignored.

" Yeah him." She nodded absent-mindedly. " He told them about the abandoned dorm, where all the students had gone missing…"

Zane saw Alexis stiffen in the corner of his eye.

" …Due to these things called Shadow Games." Lia concluded.

" That's what this Titan guy was doing there." Chazz struggled to stand up. " He was playing a shadow game. Even if the Slacker said it was fake."

" Fake?" Lia ventured.

" Yeah, he said it was all smoke and mirrors, and stuff."

" The bump on my head says otherwise." Alexis groaned, and reached back to rub the base of her head.

" You were attacked?" Zane asked, with sudden warm interest.

" No genius." The brunette spat as she tugged down the collar of her white turtleneck. Even Chazz winced at the dark marks along her slender neck. " I did this to myself. I like to choke myself right before I go to sleep, it helps me relax." She pulled her shirt back up. " Idiot."

" Tone down the attitude, Lia." Alexis said wearily. " Zane doesn't know what happened. He can't be expected to understand what we're doing."

" Yeah, yeah." The girl turned away, sulkily refusing to make eye contact.

" The point of all this is that it's all too much of a coincidence." The Ra boy said as he massaged his temples. " Jaden hears about Shadow Games, and the next night, he encounters one. Crowler overhears him inviting Lia to go with him and his friends, and she ends up as one of the victims this Titan uses. Crowler catches our boys in the abandoned dorm not two minutes after Lia and Chumley carry an unconscious Alexis out the only exit to this cave place you keep referring to." He paused and looked at his audience. " It's a little too well planned, don't you think?"

" Alexis was never supposed to be there." Chazz muttered sullenly. " It was just supposed to be the Slacker Club and the French Bitch, nobody else. I was supposed to watch the duel, and let Crowler know when it was over, and he could catch everybody. But then you insisted on going in with them!" Chazz the blonde a betrayed look. " And that screwed everything up, especially when you partnered up with the Academic freak." He looked at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. " The duelist was told to specifically target her and scare her so bad she'd never want to come back to Duel Academy! That's what Crowler told me."

" What did I ever do to him?!" Lia shouted.

" You got into Duel Academy without dueling." Chazz glared at her. " And by going off with Alexis, you made her a prime target!"

" Tons of other people get in this place without ever having to touch one of those cards!" Lia waved her arms around. " What the hell makes me stand out?!"

" You hang out with the Slacker Club, and you're ruining Alexis' reputation!" Chazz suddenly rounded on her, his pale face flushed with fury. " Alexis is the Queen of Obelisk Blue, but she's been spending all her time wallowing around with the filth of the Slifer dorm, and some Academic who can't even draw a card properly!" He turned pleading eyes on Alexis. " Don't you know what people are saying about you? They're calling you a Slacker sympathizer! They saying you're slumming around with an Academic loser who has no friends!"

" _I'm_ her friend!" Alexis suddenly exploded, leaping forward and staring Chazz down. " And I'm also Jaden's friend and Syrus' friend! I'm their friend and they're my friends and they like me just for being _me_! Not because I duel well and not because I'm an Obelisk Blue, but because I'm _Alexis_, and they like me for _that_! And you know what?!" She marched forward until she was nose-to-nose with the stunned Chazz.

" I'll take that kind of friendship over being called the Queen of a dorm full of stuck up, big headed, nose-in-the-air jackasses any day!"

She whipped her hand back and brought it down against that pale face with a loud, wet smacking noise. His head whipped to the side and his shoulders followed, until he had twisted down to his knees. With a shaky hand, he cupped the injured skin and turned cloudy eyes on his tormentor.

" You set my friends up so that they'd get kicked out of Duel Academy, and you expect me to be _okay_ with that?" He opened his mouth but her flashing eyes silenced him. " Don't you even _try_ to justify what you've done! You're trying to ruin the dreams of two boys and it's sick! That's all it is, it's sick of you to do that!"

She took a step back and reigned in her anger, crossing her arms.

" How do you stand to look at yourself in the mirror?"

Chazz rubbed his cheek and looked at her with haunted eyes.

" You shouldn't have been there last night." He said softly, pulling himself to his feet, and retreating backwards. " None of this would've happened if you had just stayed away from the abandoned dorm." A fire lit up in his eyes. " We all miss Atticus, but was it really necessary for you to pay your respects every ni-"

He got no further, because Alexis lunged at him, her eyes deranged with fury and misery, tears streaming down from them. Zane caught her around the waist and held her back, pinning her arms to her sides as the two Ra students looked on in shock.

" How dare you?! How _dare_ you?!" Alexis sobbed. " How dare you say that about him?! How can you say that when he was your friend too?!" She twisted against Zane's grip. " Are you really _that_ heartless?!" Chazz made a motion to go near her, but it only enraged her more.

" _Don't touch me_!" She howled. " Don't you ever touch me again! I hate you, you hear me? _I hate you_!" She was trembling by this point, and Zane was too busy focusing on keeping a tight hold on her to notice Chazz's heartbroken face, " I hate you, I hate you, I _hate_ you! I never want to see you again! I never want to talk to you ever again! You stay the hell away from me, you hear me? Keep away!" She lashed her foot out at him and he dodged, but there was a distinct lack of actual thought to the move. He stumbled and then, still staring at Alexis, slowly trudged off towards the dorms, a blank, clouded look in his eyes.

Alexis collapsed in Zane's arms, sobbing and curling into the heat he offered. Behind he, he heard the boy pull the girl away from them.

" C'mon Lia, let's leave."

" But, Bastien…" the girl, Lia, objected, but, out of the corner of his eye, Zane saw the boy give her a look.

" He'll take care of her." Zane raised his head to make eye contact over Alexis' shuddering head. " You will won't you?"

" It's my job." He said blankly, gathering the wreck of a girl closer into his arms. The boy gave a stiff nod.

" See?" He offered to his companion. " She'll be just fine. Let's go tell the others what we've figured out about what happened in the abandoned dorm." He started on the path that led back to the main one, muttering under his breath. The girl remained, staring with wide eyes at Alexis, cuddled in Zane's arms.

" I…" She tried, but trailed off, unsure. She bit her lip, and looked off to the side, Even though she was facing a large oak tree, Zane knew her words were meant for Alexis. " …I won't ask…you can tell me when you're ready…and I have a few…stories... that I can share as well…" She trailed off again, and then snapped back to look Zane dead in the eye.

" Take her back to her dorm and make sure she gets some rest." She instructed, no quiver in her voice as she stared him down. A bubble of respect rose up in his mind. The girl started off after the other boy, but paused and turned back, looking at him with questioning hazel eyes.

" You're related to Syrus, aren't you?"

Even though she pronounced it Sy_ris_ instead of Sy_rus_, he knew whom she meant.

He started, looking at her in surprise.

" You have the same confused face. " She explained. " Your eyes go wide and you get this little crease in your forehead and then your mouth opens just a little. " She shrugged. " It looks cute when Syrus does it, but on you…" She trailed off, smirking at him over her shoulder.

" On you it just looks weird."

She ran down the path, and he lost sight of her when a bend in the dirt path took her behind a tree. Letting the Ra girl's oddities roll off his shoulders, Zane gathered Alexis (who had stopped sobbing, but was still letting tears pour silently down her cheeks from glassy eyes) into his arms, and started up towards the dorms.

Distantly, as was the norm for thoughts relating to his brother, Zane registered that Syrus was probably so happy because he finally had some friends.

Zane was honestly too preoccupied at the moment to decide how he felt about this revelation, but he allowed to mull over in his mind as he made him way to the girls' dorms.

By the time he had handed Alexis' well being over to the care of her redheaded roommate, Zane had come to a decision.

Perhaps a chat with his brother wasn't such a bad idea after all.

* * *

Can I just say that I absolutely _love_ writing for Zane?! It's so much fun to get into his head, and try to figure out what makes him tick. As a character in the show, I'm not overly fond of him, but writing him? My God, I have as much fun with him as I do with Azula (refer to my _Armour_ trilogy.)

So, translations:

_Expulsé _- Expelled.

Lia: I would've thought that would be obvious.

I'd ask taht you not be such a bitch for like, five seconds, but seeing as how I wrote taht to be an impossibilty for you...

Lia: What _are_ you rambling on about now?

...I don't like you very much.

Lia: So go write a depressed blog about it or something on My Space or Facebook or something like that so that the rest of the world can read about your misery and laugh.

...Bitch, you did not just say that.

Lia: (Smirk) Oh yeah, and what are you gonna do if I did?

...(Lunges at Lia)

Lia: Diable?! (Gets tackled)

Jaden: Um, since Lia and MoS are currently...(Looks over at large dust cloud from which loud cusring in different languages can be heard)..._busy_, I'll do that translations. So, where were we? Oh, here's one: Calmer-vous -...I think it means, calm yourself. Don't quote me on it though, okay (Rubs head sheepishly)

I don't even _have_ a Facebook account!

Lia: yeah, 'cause you don't have neough friends to _need_ one!

Oh, it is _on_ now!

Jaden: (still rubbing head) Wow, they are really getting into it. I haven't seen MoS this upset since Kit-chan got into the saved files and messed around with some of the dialogue from another fic. Well, let's see waht else I can talk about with this chapter. Oh, there's the bit where Lia gets sortya pink around Bastian. Huh? What does that mean? What's going on here?! (Looks confused) I don't get it! MoS keeps slapping her forehead with teh palm of her hand and Lia is giving me this really weird look, but that doesn't explain what's going on Do you guys get it? (Pouts) If so, could somebody please explain it to me, please?

...He's serious. He's actually freakin' serious.

Lia: Why am I friends with him again?

Because I made you.

Lia: All the more reason to kick your ass, then.

Bring it, honey!

Jaden: (sweatdrop) I don't really understtand a lot of what MoS is saying here...but I think she's going for giving Zane a reason for doing what he , I think it's time to go. I need to seperate those two before they kill each other.

Take it back!

Lia: Never!

Jaden:...So, I guess we'll see you all next week. Leacveve a review, pretty please? (Puppy dog pout).

God, it's unfair that he's so cute ! (Temporarily distracted by the adorableness of the main character)

Lia: (Tackles MoS from behind)Take this, you no talent authoress!

No talent?! I'll kill you for that! No, better yet, I'll write you _out_ of the story!

Lia: You wouldn't _dare_!

Watch me!

Jaden: Oh geeze, I really need to go. Unitl next Friday then! (Waves goodbye).


	11. The Reaction

Warnings: Some Syrus angst (I love to pick on the little guy), and a little peek into the home life of Lia. Can _you_ pick up the hints?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year One: The Academic**

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Alexis' outburst worried him more than he'd like to have admitted. In the brief time he'd known the girl, Bastian had been under the impression that she was of the calm, collected sort that didn't let anything ruffle her feathers. Her 'cold as ice' persona was something of legend to those entering the school, and while he had been treated to her when she warmed up, there had always been a certain dignity to her manners that impressed him.

That tearful display was so out of character it made him shiver.

" How is she?" Bastian asked as he paused to let Lia catch up. The brunette nodded, breathing hard, doubled over on her knees. Bastian noted, with a slight smile, that the run had put some colour into her normally pale face and her cheeks were flushed with a healthy rose blush. She gulped in another helping of fresh air and right herself, brushing a pesky wisp of hair out of her eyes.

" Still crying, but calming down some." The girl glanced back to the Blue Dorms. " I guess that guy will take care of her." She frowned. " I hope."

" They seemed well acquainted." Bastian reassured, placing a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, but he didn't remove it right away. He gave a light tug instead, and turned to continue walking down the path. He heard Lia start up after him a moment later. She matched his stride as they walked down in silence, Bastian admiring the view the noon-day sun was giving over the ocean to his side, and, from the heavy feeling around her, Lia stewing in her own thoughts.

" I wonder what Crowler offered him." She murmured finally, and Bastian almost answered her. But the voice of common sense told him that maybe she hadn't meant to say it out loud, and keeping quiet would be the best way to stay in her good graces. He winced as he remembered her viciousness toward Chazz.

' _Better to not make an enemy of someone with a good right hook_.' He joked to himself.

Lia glanced up at him expectantly, and he realized that maybe she had meant for him to hear her thoughts.

" Well, what do you think?"

He smiled at her.

" Why ask me?" He shrugged. " I wasn't there, I don't know Chazz."

" You're the only other person to ask." She said, staring steadily forward. " And aren't you supposed to be a genius?"

" In matters that have some semblance of structure to them." He laughed at the pout she gave him. " When it comes to understanding the human mind, I'm woefully ignorant. Besides," he shot her a look, " isn't this _your_ field?"

" How so?"

" Beline Duressuscité, right?"

Lia froze, her entire body held taunt and stiff.

" H-How do you know my - that name?"

" I'm a follower of world discoveries." He said, walking casually by her, but looking at her out of his peripheral. She was very still, her mouth set in a grim line and her hands clenched into fists at her side. Bastian made a mental note that he should've found a more pleasant way to bring this subject up. But still, he supposed, as long as it was out in the open, he may as well pursue it.

" I read _Destruction and Desolation: The Human Condition_." He explained, willing the silent girl to respond. Lia had started walking again, but her steps were harsh, controlled and all together ill at ease, not the comfortable gate it had been only moments before.

" Not her best work, but still decent." He tried again. She blinked, and the scowl on her face loosened a little. He prodded at her a tiny bit more. " I actually preferred her latest book."

" _Destruction and Desolation_ was written during the…a difficult time." Lia said, but though her voice was tight, her eyes had lost that hard edge Bastian had come to recognize as her automatic defense. " It was a bad period in her life…in all our lives. _La Nature du Génocide_ was written just a few years ago, when life was a little bit brighter."

" What happened?" Bastian ventured, and was surprised to see Lia roll her eyes and sigh in exasperation.

" Gauvin."

" Who?"

Lia snorted and crossed her arms across her chest. She blew air from the side of her mouth at a sneaky piece of hair that was starting to fall back down into her face.

"Gauvin Vinécrasé." Lia said, but offered not further comment, even when Bastian motioned for her to continue. She increased her pace and walked steadily ahead, ignoring the confused look Bastian shot her as he hurried to catch up.

" Who-" he started, but Lia had apparently talked about her personal life enough for one night.

" Can we just drop it, please?" She asked, and under her biting tone, Bastian heard the quiet plea. Being the gentleman that his mother had raised him to be, he nodded, and saw, to some guilty satisfaction, the shoulders of the girl next to him relax noticeably.

" Before we got so woefully off track, what was it we were discussing?"

Lia visibly relaxed her whole body, and the grateful look she shot him when she thought he wasn't looking didn't exactly help the guilt swirling around in his gut at his still lingering curiosity.

" We were wondering what Crowler offered Chazz to make him agree to the deal." Lia shook her head. " I mean, even the Obelisks seem to hold Crowler in contempt. And Chazz thinks he's above everyone."

" So you're saying that there must have been something to make Chazz agree?"

" I'm just guessing here, but yeah." Lia tapped her index finger against her chin. " Why else would Chazz agree to work with _Crowler_ of all people?"

" Common enemy?" Bastian offered, but Lia shook her head.

" Chazz wouldn't go to Crowler to get rid of Jaden." Abruptly, her eyes went very dark and the fist at her side clenched until the knuckles went white. " He'd be just fine taking on Jaden all by himself, provided there was somewhere he could hide the body."

" Morbid, aren't you?"

" You're the one who seems to know everything about my life. " She said in a thin voice. " So you should know the reason behind that."

" Right, dropping the subject."

" Thank you." Her tone was clipped.

" But then, if Chazz joined up with Crowler to bust you and the others, why did he let you and Chumley go?" Bastian shook his head. " If his outburst back there counts for anything, he hates you just as much as he hates Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley."

" He doesn't hate Syrus or Chumley." Lia murmured, rubbing her bottom lip. " Not really, anyway. He hates them because they're associated with Jaden, and so…"

" He hates them by extension."

" Right."

" But still," Bastian entreated, " why would he let you and Chumley go when he could've let Crowler catch you all."

There was a pause, before both Ra's stood ramrod straight and whipped around to look each other in the eye.

"Alexis!" The both shouted.

" It makes sense!" Lia stared, wide eyed with excitement. " Chazz likes Alexis, he didn't want her to get caught." She froze suddenly. " Oh wait, no."

" What's wrong? It's obvious Chazz didn't want Alexis to get caught and get in trouble, so he left to distract Crowler while you ad Chumley carried Alexis out."

" But Alexis is in Obelisk Blue." Lia looked at him despairingly. " And Crowler would _never_ get any of his own students in trouble. His favouritism would never let him."

" Ah, but remember what Chazz said?" Lia's face was blank. " About her reputation?"

" It's going downhill?"

" Yes, and why is that?"

" Because…she keeps hanging out with…us?"

Lia made a gesture in the general direction of the Red Dorms with one hand, and used the other to point to herself and Bastian, a slightly confused look on her face. Taking pity on her situation (it was probably the second time someone had left her in the dark about their brilliant discovery), Bastian enlightened her.

" Yes, her reputation is going down because she's made some friends that defy the class system that seems to run rampant in this school."

" Class or caste?" Lia muttered.

" Anyway, Alexis is clearly defying some kind of…unwritten rules, and that is having a negative effect on her status."

" They're stupid rules!" Lia said with abrupt heat. She flushed as soon as the words had left her mouth, and turned her head away from Bastian's inquiring gaze.

"I agree, but they are still present." He agreed. " The point I'm making here is-"

" Yeah, yeah, Alexis didn't obey the rules and made friends with Slifers and an Academic."

Bastian gave a fake cough.

" And a know-it-all Ra."

" I should resent that, but I'm on too much of a roll to care." Bastian cupped his chin in his hand. " Alexis has been loosing favour with the more fanatical of the Blues, including, but certainly not limited to-"

" Crowler!" Lia shouted, snapping her fingers. Bastian moved to massage his temples once more.

" Could you stop interrupting me? It's making it hard to think."

" Huh?" Lia blink dazedly, obviously still stunned by the revelation. " Oh, yeah, sorry. Continue."

" Thank you." He coughed professionally. " Crowler is a firm believer that his dorm is better than any of the others, particularly the Red Dorm. Seeing as how Jaden beat him, he harbours an especially strong dislike for him, and anyone associated with him. That association has recently extended to include Alexis."

" Crowler might not have let her off." Lia concluded.

" Exactly. He would want to punish her for even being seen with anyone he believes she should consider beneath her. If he'd caught her with the rest of you, she'd probably have been given a lighter punishment than what Jaden and Syrus are facing, but a punishment nonetheless."

" To show her she shouldn't be hanging out with us."

" Precisely."

" That's sick." Lia wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. " That's just…it's sick. That people actually think that way…"

" That people believe we shouldn't be friends with our friends." Bastian hand his hand regretfully through his hair.

" I agree. There is no other way to describe it."

" It's just sick."

**_**

They eventually ran into a fleeing Syrus (literally; he ran full throttle into Lia's mid section), and Bastian ran ahead to find Jaden, shouting over his shoulder that Lia should try to calm Syrus (who was hiccupping and sobbing like a new born) down before he hurt himself. Lia had stood, shocked and silent, watching Bastian as he ran off, Syrus' blue hair just barely brushing her stomach. He was already pressed into her, his small arms still encircling her from when he had thrown them out to stop his fall. Bastian, smiling at her, called out that he'd be back with Jaden just as soon as he could.

Lia was helpless.

She wasn't the comforting type. She could console someone about as well as she could duel and that was not at all. She didn't know how to handle tears and crying and grief, because her own experience had been short and swift. Lia had never really had to deal with anyone's pain, not even her own, because she'd learned, a long time ago, that crying about something wasn't going to make anything better. Tears were not going change anything, weren't going to turn back time so the damage could be undone, weren't going to bring back whatever it was that had been lost. Whining about something wasn't going to fix things was what Lia had learned, and she applied to all aspects of her life, rationalizing her work ethic with the belief that her grief wouldn't change anything.

When confronted with someone who didn't share her ideals, Lia was decidedly less confident.

As Syrus pressed himself closer, wailing unintelligibly into the warmth of her sweater, Lia cast a desperate eye around for anyone who could get a handle on the situation. Had she been there, Lia was pretty sure she would've thrown the crying boy at Alexis and darted after Bastian as fast as her legs would allow her. To her extreme dismay, Alexis was probably crying on her bed in her dorm room, and was in no shape to offer a tissue to Syrus, let alone comfort. So it fell to the way-out-of-her-league Academic to give what limited grief counseling she had to the distraught boy.

" Um, Syrus?" She tried unsurely, looking down at the shivering bundle at her waist. It shifted slightly, and a red-rimmed silver eye peeked out at her from under blue bangs.

" We're kinda…in the middle of the road here, so if it's not too much trouble, could we, ah…could we…" Her vocabulary deserted her as she stared into his heart broken little face, " maybe …_move_…over there…by that tree?" She pointed sheepishly, and the boy trembled. Hastily, she took it back. "Only if you want to, of course! Only if you want to! If…If you want to stand in the middle of the road, and ball your eyes out, that's fine too."

A fresh wave of tears erupted from his eyes and Lia mentally slapped herself.

' _Yeah, sarcasm __**really**__ isn't going to be of much help here_!' She snarled to herself. With a sigh, she coiled her arms around Syrus' shoulders, and lifted. She was nowhere near being strong, but Syrus weighed surprisingly little, small and suddenly unbearably fragile in her arms. She toddled over to the shade of one of the trees off the path, stumbling when Syrus' feet dragged along the dirt, unwilling or unable to help in the short journey. Any other day, Lia would have snapped at him, and told him to get up and walk, but something about his eyes, something lost and lonely in those watering silver eyes, stopped her.

" …_I'll be alone again."_

Muttering under her breath, but with no real malice in her tone, she half carried, half dragged the still shaking boy under the cover of the cool shade of the tree. Plopping Syrus down, the sudden shift of weight sent her falling to her knees, Syrus still attached to her middle. The fall made her dizzy, and she almost missed the tightened grip of the arms around her. She glanced down as her equilibrium returned to see Syrus inching his way up to her shoulder, murmuring quiet words that she could quite catch. That could be attributed to the fact that the instant she saw the blue mop of hair sliding steadily upwards, panic grabbed at her mind before she could stop it.

" Hey, hey, what do think you're doing?!" She put her hands on the crooks of his elbows and shoved, albeit gentler than she normally would have. " Quit it! Syrus, I mean it! Personal space, Syrus!"

She gave another push, but the boy just clung to her tighter. A warmth began to spread from where his face was buried in her shoulder over her chest, and then steadily up her neck. The faint rush of blood made her dizzy again, and she reached one hand over to grip the trunk of the tree as the heat made her cheeks burn softly, hidden under a curtain of her hair. Syrus murmured something else, and Lia's sense returned to her as she gave another yelp. The noise seemed to spur the boy into action, as he jumped back with a squeak, dried tear tracks glistening on his face.

" I-I'm s-s-sorry!" He stuttered, and Lia was reminded of the time in the hallway outside of the Campus Card Shop (she hadn't heard back from them; probably time to apply elsewhere). Syrus reached up to wipe his eyes. " I was just…I didn't mean to…I won't do it again, …I was just upset…I…I…"

" Said the same thing last time." Lia huffed, reaching down to straighten her jacket. Across from, Syrus gave a pitiful little moan.

" I can't do anything right, can I?"

The sheer self-hatred in his tone made Lia pause in her actions. She glanced up at him through her hair, taking in his slumped posture and defeated face, desolate, hopeless eyes staring at the ground. In a flash, another child, with hair pulled into a messy bun and downcast eyes, trying to control her tears, replaced the sniveling boy in front of her. Lia bit her bottom lip without realizing it, and reached up to fiddle with her hair.

" Don't say that." She said after a painful silence. " You just took me by surprise, that's all. Next time you…" she trailed off, unsure of what she was trying to convey. " ...Next time, just warn me, okay?"

" I'm sorry. "He sighed, and to Lia's horror, a fresh wave of tears flooded down his cheeks. " It's just…I'm upset…and I…well, I guess I…"

He looked away from her, over onto the dirt at his feet, seemingly unable to continue. When he found his voice again, it was barely a whisper.

" I just wanted a hug."

'_What am I supposed to say to that_?' Lia mused in helpless surrender. '_Je me détesterai pour toujours si je ne rends pas lui le sentir meilleur_.'

With a defeated sigh, Lia crawled forward to where Syrus sat, crying quietly to himself. With one last mutter of disbelief in her native language, Lia reached over with unsure, but perfectly capable hands and drew the shaking body to her. Syrus let out a small yelp of surprise, but Lia ignored it in favour of wrapping her arms around the boy and pressing him against her own solid form. Syrus lay stiff in her arms for a moment, before he relaxed into her grip and leaned his face against her collarbone.

" Lia?" He ventured. And while the smile she offered him was a trifle forced (like she hadn't smiled sincerely in so long she'd forgotten how), her arms gave him a small squeeze.

" Wanna talk about it?"

**_**

Even after Lia dropped him off at his dorm, even after she'd held him (awkwardly and more sincerely than he'd ever been held in his life) as he cried out incoherent words of hate against his brother, the sick, twisting feeling of not being good enough was still churning around in his stomach. Even after the warmth of Lia's hand as she had guided him back to his dorm and her small smile as she told him to get some rest wasn't nearly enough to dispel the growing dread surging through his body. He lay, curling up in the blankets, gagging and trying to hold onto some of the fleeting courage that had given him the strength to tell the Ra girl that he hated (absolutely _hated_) his brother at certain times, even though he knew it was stupid and pathetic.

But the strength had left him with the last tear, and so instead of braving the outside world, like he was pretty sure a hero would be doing (if this were a movie, then he would have just had his 'dramatic pathos' scene with the kind, smart, stereotypical girl-next-door. And while Lia was smart, this was the kindest he'd ever seen her, and it had been tinged with the awkwardness she obviously felt when expressing sympathy).

He wallowed in his own despair, staring with blank eyes at the Power Bond card Jaden kept shoving into his hands the previous night when they'd all sat, tired and grateful, in a stone cavern bathed in blue moonlight. In the dim light and soft shadows, he'd felt worthy and strong, more than capable of using the card his brother had given to him. But in the cold light of the day, his bravado vanished like evaporating water, fizzling away into cowardice and stupidity under the heat of the sun.

He shook under the heavy blanket, slapping his hands over his ears in an effort to drown out the dismal visions of his failure at the tag team duel and Jaden's stunned, horrified face as he screwed everything up.

He pressed them even tighter as his brother's voice echoing damningly in his mind.

" _I'll tell you why."_

Syrus shuddered.

" _Because he doesn't belong here."_

" You're wrong!" Syrus shouted desperately to an empty room. He threw his gaze around frantically, seeking the source of his tormenter, cruel, dark words hissing in his ears.

"_Am I?"_

" You're wrong about me!" He shouted again, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

" _No, I'm not. Who told you I was?"_

" You're wrong, Jaden and Chumley and everybody says you're wrong!"

" _And you believed them?"_

" They're my friends!"

" _They aren't your friends. They just pity you."_

" No!" He shook his head, tears flying from his screwed up eyes. " No, you're wrong, you're wrong!"

" _Just like everybody else pities you."_

" No. No, no, no nononononononono." Syrus moaned to himself, sobbing helplessly, curled up in a ball on his bed.

" _As if anybody would ever want to be __**your**__ friend."_

Syrus whimpered.

" _After all, you're nothing but my failure brother."_

" SHUT UP!"

Syrus threw himself off the bed, blankets flying upwards. He twisted around in a circle, glaring at every corner and shadow that played in the dimming light of the setting sun. He stood, panting and shaking in the center of the room, staring up at the ceiling.

" …_You're pathetic."_

With a broken wail, Syrus hurled himself at the door, fumbling around with the doorknob until he wrenched the door open and went flying out of the room, down the rickety stairs and onto the worn dirt path that led away from the dorm, his only thoughts whirling around the fact that he had to leave, had to get away, had to disappear before it all overwhelmed him.

He ran straight into a solid wall of muscle and tension.

The tears were blinding his visions and the sobs were shaking his torso so bad that he couldn't have straightened even if he'd wanted to. His entire body was convulsing with his tears and he was perfectly content to sit there in the dirt, wishing that the ground would just open so that he could vanish into it.

Any last restraints he still had on himself vanished as the figure towering above him spoke up.

" Hello Syrus."

Zane had come to visit.

* * *

Oh, I made myself cry! Syrus! Oh, sweetie, c'mere! Let MoS give you a hug.

Jaden: Um, MoS...-chan? Your arm is in a cast.

Not now Jaden, my maternal instincts are acting up!

Lia: Maternal instincts my ass. You just want to grope an anime character.

Jaden: A whatnow?

Lia! Ixnay on the aracterchay! Adenjay doesn't owknay!

Lia: Oh, yeah, like that's gonna fool him. As if!

Jaden: What are you guys talking about? You know I can't understand you when you stop speaking English!

Lia: (blink blink)...(facepalm) I give up. I just....I give up. (starts walking off) Damnit, I need a drink.

Jaden: You're under aged!

Lia: (Calls back) I'm also French, so shove it!

Well, isn't she in a pleasnt mood. (Gives a struggling Syrus a squeeze) So, let's do some translations, shall we?

Syrus: Can't breathe...Crazy girl...choking...

Eheheheh, ignore the depressed little boy, and focus in on the distract-I mean, translations. Yes. _Translations_. And nothing else. (shifty eyes)

_La Nature du Génocide_ - Really? Okay then. The Nature of Genocide.

_Je me détesterai pour toujours si je ne rends pas lui le sentir meilleur_- I'll hate myself forever if I don't make him feel better. Oh, isn't Lia just adorable?!

_I'll be alone again._ - ...I take back every mean thing I ever said about her! Lia, I love you sweetie!

Lia: My eye is still throbbing from you showing your 'love' last week, thank you very much!

She loves me. Yes she does.

Beline and Gauvin - Ah, my first real delving into Lia's past. Can you guess who these fine peopple are? What their relationship with Lia is? What 'the bad time in our lives' was? G0o ahead, take a guess.

Lia: Yes, please, everybody speculate about my life. Nit like it's a private or painful thing to me, oh no, not at all.

Syrus: For God's sakes...help me...

(Squeezes) So cute! - Euhm, I mean, I didn't hear anything. Nope nothing at all. No desperate gasps for help, waht are you talking about? Eheheheh. Heheh. ...Heh.

Syrus' freak out featuring Zane: Oh, you'll never know how much fun that was to write. I love getting into the heads of people in those kinds of situations. Syrus is simply the perfect bully victim, and Zane is the perfect bully. But each of them has their own reasons behind the way they act, and it's so fun to get into those reasons and flesh them out. Expect more of this. Expect me to go in _deep_ with this. I am going to milk this for all it's worth before I have to turn Zane evil for Year Two (Oh, God, just imagine how much fun I'm going to have with that!)

Other than that, please leave a review (feed a would-be author's ego, will you? Pretty please?), and I honestly hoped you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Tune in next week for the confrontation of the Trusedale broither! (God, I sound like a crappy narrator)

MoS


	12. The Victim

Warnings: Major assholishness on Zane's part ahead. And an angry Alexis. Very angry.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Syrus gave a slight whimper, but held his tears back as his elder brother surveyed him with no friendly light in his dark eyes. Every instinct in his body told him to get up off the ground and run like the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels, but another, softer part of him asked how far he could really get, with Zane on his tail. Syrus was a good deal many things (most of them were negative), but stupid wasn't on that list, at least not where his brother was concerned. He knew that, no matter what the challenge or predicament, nothing he did would ever measure up to Zane. It was the pure, depressing truth that Syrus had been forced to accept time and time again, when whatever miniscule speck of his previous bravery vanished with one glance of those scornful eyes.

" Z-Zane." He was trembling. God help him, he was trembling like a child in their first thunderstorm. Distantly, (because Zane's presence robbed him of all function and process) Syrus wondered if a person was supposed to feel this afraid and this pathetic around a big brother. Judging from the way he interacted with Jaden and Chumley (but did they really count? Did they actually mean more to him than his own brother?), then no, he wasn't supposed to start shaking whenever he and Zane made eye contact. But years of listening to the verbal barbs pouring our of his brother's mouth had long since taken their toll on Syrus, both in his pale, sweating face and in the knocking of his knees as his brother towered over him, the sun behind him casting his features (handsome, strong, godlike; his mother was wrong, Zane _had_ gotten everything, including the looks) into a foreboding shadow.

" Syrus." Clipped, curt, and to the point. A cold anxiety started to curl in Syrus' stomach. " I'm glad I ran into you."

" Th-This is m-my dorm, b-b-big br-brother?" Syrus stuttered, biting his bottom lip and avoiding looking into those cold eyes so far above him.

" So it is." He cast a chilling eye around the area. " Shabby, run down, pathetic." Then those eyes were on him, and his entire being seize up in terror.

" Suits you perfectly, Syrus."

The blow might have sent him staggering, in an earlier time, but now all it did was cause him to flinch and curl in on himself more, his mind numbed by the onslaught that had been all that the brothers' relationship consisted of for several years now.

" Then again," Zane was musing, and when Zane mused, it only meant that Syrus was in for some well thought out, and bitingly cold comments, " I may be wrong."

Syrus knew better than to give himself the pleasure of hoping his brother wasn't going to say what he knew Zane would say. That was a luxury Syrus hadn't been able to allow himself for years.

" The Slifer Dorm is the place this school created for the most pathetic duellists who lucked out on their entrance exams."

' _So it's luck now, is it_?' Syrus thought dimly. ' _I don't even have a little bit of skill worth acknowledging_?'

" It's a hive where the scum of the Academy likes to convene and gather."

' _I don't know whether to be insulted, or start laughing_.' The rebellious thought flickered through him so fast it might have just been his imagination. After all, he was Syrus, and Syrus could never stand up to Zane, not even in his thoughts.

" This place is putrid."

Syrus whimpered under his breath as his mobility returned and he tried to slink off to the side where his brother would be less inclined to notice him. But Zane's next words froze him in place.

" But it's still too good for you."

The shock of it struck home under all the dizzying numbness that usually took hold in his brother's presence. It surged through him, frigid as ice water and clawing at his insides like a diseased animal, scrounging for life in an empty pit. His heart gave a painful thud somewhere in his chest, and the ice that he had set up as a last line of defence around it shattered, spearing agonizing shards through his soft interior. He gulped in air, but the shatter remains of his shield went spewing into his throat and he coughed, choking on the breath as he tried to take it to his lungs.

A sick, swooping feeling rose up in his chest, and he fought to keep from dry retching.

' _I-I knew it_.' His mind stuttered in shock. ' _I knew all along…he'd say something like that…_'

Tears streamed from his eyes before he could stop them, and his face was suddenly wet.

' _So why is it…_'

Zane was looking at him with those eyes again, those contemptuous, soul freezing eyes.

' …_even now…_'

" I came to talk. So get up, and let go somewhere we won't be disturbed."

Syrus got to his feet, but he swayed form side to side and looked only at the ground, not daring to see the look his brother was giving him. He stumbled after Zane, who had started off towards the inlet under the cliff by the younger boy's dorm. Syrus followed droopily, his head hanging wearily on his chest and his eyes hidden by the angle at which his blue bangs fell. The dying sun hit his face as it sun behind the vast bridge across from the two brothers, and the light caught the crystal river of tears flowing down his face. A shaky hand reached up and brushed them away, his bottom lip caught in between his teeth.

Zane spared no glance backwards as he calmly, but steadily walked forward, manoeuvring through jutting rocks and a rough, rocky path that led down to the small space under the cliff that looked out onto the sea, which was dyed red with the setting sun cast out over it. Zane continued walking, not uttering a word as Syrus stifled his sobs with his fist, pressed against his mouth. If Zane heard the pitiful little noises his little brother was emitting, he gave no indication. Syrus was inclined to believe that Zane was ignoring him. He'd certainly had enough practice.

' _Even now, after so many years…_' His mind murmured as Zane came to stop and turned around to look at the huddling boy.

' _Why does it still hurt_?'

" There's something we need to talk about."

Zane was looking at him now, Syrus was sure of it. He could feel those damning eyes on him from anywhere. But he stayed as he was, eyes turned to the ground and face hidden by his unruly hair, refusing to look at the older. It was the only rebellion he could afford, the only bravado that was allotted to him. He may be trembling and broken and scared, but so long as he refused to look at his brother, he could keep what little dignity remained. And he could defy the rules Zane had unknowingly set around their encounters. He could disobey Zane, his tormentor and idol, even if it was only in so small a gesture.

" That card I gave to you." He could feel the hard glare at his body. Unconsciously, his hand reached into the pocket where'd he frantically shoved the card as he'd ran blindly from the dorm room, and closed his fingers around it, remembering a moonlit cavern where Jaden had done the same thing.

" Power Bond." He whispered, his voice lost to the wind as it picked up suddenly and howled around the two brothers like an enraged wolf pack.

" Yes, that one." Zane's voice was different somehow, a little more strained than usual, like he was struggling with himself. It peaked Syrus' interest, but the boy kept his head down, fingers digging into the laminated back of the card.

" I want you to give it back."

Syrus' head shot up before he could stop it, and he stared in horror at his elder brother.

" Y-You…what?!"

" You heard me." And there was no mercy in his tone. The world around them shrunk to those unyielding eyes staring at him from the face of the person Syrus hated and loved the most in the world.

" Give me Power Bond back."

**_**

Both Lia and Alexis were walking in absolute silence.

Alexis cast worried glances over at her companion, anticipating the moment when the tense, but bearable understanding between the two broke, and Lia hurled the questions that must be stewing in her mind at the not-ready blonde. Lia herself didn't seem too concerned, looking out at the setting sun, and the colours it cast out onto the shifting water.

The wind had picked up, and, as Alexis led them to the lighthouse, small waves splashed again the stone of the pathway out to the beacon. The blue water rose up, foamy and wet, and the spray from the crashing waves spritzed the two girls as they walked forward without any real destination in mind.

Alexis glanced nervously over again at the head of brown curls (that was shining reddish in the last strands of sunlight that reached up on the sky) that was walking at a nice, controlled gate, staring straight ahead. Lia seemed to be taking in the sound of the water and the last calls of the gulls that liked to nest in the cliffs. There was the sound of deep breathing next to her, and Alexis guessed that she was taking in the salty scent of the ocean, and the smell of the grass, blowing off the nearby cliffs.

" Dieu," Lia murmured, and Alexis was pretty sure it was to herself, "Je dois obtenir une image de ceci!"

The blonde looked out on the image presented to her, of the sun sinking into the sparkling, crimson stained ocean, with roan red rocks coloured warmly in the last light of the day, and the silhouettes of birds streaking across a vibrant, multi-toned sky.

She supposed it made a nice picture.

" I thought you might like it." She said softly, smiling as the younger girl whipped around to look at her. She grinned with a shrug. " Just thought you might like a picture."

" Of all the times to forget my camera…" Lia lamented, turning back to the scene before her. " It's absolutely…magnifique!"

Alexis allowed herself a small laugh at the accent that crept into Lia's vehement statement.

" It _is_ pretty." She agreed, watching the sun fade at last, and the sky yield to a reddish purple. They watched the sky darken into a deeper shade of purple, the silence that had engulfed them ever since Lia had shown up at Alexis' door and asked to go for a walk settling back in. Alexis shivered as the chilly night air, blowing in off the ocean, swirled around her.

" You should wear a shirt that covers your arms." Lia chided, but Alexis could hear the playfulness in her tone. " Maybe even a pair of jeans. You know, cover up a little more. Avoid the cold."

" This uniform is regulation." She argued with no real warmth.

" For Blue girls maybe, but no one's tried to make me where the skirt that goes with this jacket." Lia gave her Ra Yellow jacket a friendly tug.

" You're in Ra, and you're an Academic." Alexis explained with a huff. " They aren't going to make you wear anything because you're getting judged on your brain, not your looks."

Lia looked over at her, confused. Staring up into the still somewhat light sky, Alexis explained to her.

" Ra is known for having brainiacs, Duelist, or Academic, so you're expected to be smart." She brushed a blonde bang, tussled by the evening breeze, out of her face. " Plus you're an Academic. All _your_ tests will be on written paper, not in a duel arena, where everyone can see you, and judge you."

" On your dueling skills?" Lia asked wryly. Unseen, Alexis smirked.

" Half on that, and half on how good your legs look in that regulation blue miniskirt." She heaved a sigh and leaned back against the light tower. " Obelisk Blues are considered, inaccurately, mind you, to be the best of the best, and so we are on constant display around this place."

" And people want you to look good." Lia reasoned. " Have you ever considered that maybe the board that drew up those uniforms was full of perverted old geezers who just wanted to have young, beautiful girls prancing around in skirts that barely cover anything, and tops that are too tight to breathe in?"

Alexis snorted from her seat.

" I've thought about it, but then I get the shivers down my back, and I try very hard to forget the idea ever crossed my mind."

Lia sat cross-legged, facing the ocean.

" Yeah, I can see how that would happen."

The silence came back, cushioning the two girls as they sat, faces still flushed from the disappearing heat of the sun. The wind whistled coldly around them, and Alexis bit her lip as another violent shiver wracked her body. She rubbed her hands together, breathing hot air on them as her wrists felt icy against her lips. She shuddered again, and blinked in surprise as a hulk of yellow invaded her vision.

" Wha?" She gaped as she realized Lia was holding out her Ra jacket.

" You're cold, and I'm already in double layers." Lia said simply, pressing the jacket into Alexis' shaking fingers. " If you think you can stand the shame, then you can borrow it for as long as we decide to sit here, staring off into the distance and avoiding the issue."

Sheepishly, Alexis curled her fingers around the fabric, and slipped her arms though the waiting sleeves. The jacket was smaller on her body then it was on Lia's, but the residual heat that permeated from the cloth more than made up for the size. Alexis sank down against the stone at her back, looking of the side where the water was splashing again, and avoiding Lia's curious eye.

" About…" the brunette started. " About earlier…"

" You meant what you said, right?"

Lia eyed her with a confused face.

" About…" Alexis paused, looking her in her hazel eyes, " …about not asking until I was ready to tell."

Slowly, the Ra student nodded.

" Yeah, I meant it. I just wanted to know if you were alright now."

Alexis nodded wearily, clutching the jacket closer to her.

" Yeah, I don't know what came over me back there…I just snapped…With Jaden and Syrus being expelled and us figuring out Chazz helped set it up and then that reference he made to…" Alexis paused and stumbled over her words, " …to someone important, and how they're gone, I guess I just couldn't take it."

"It's good stress relief, I'll give you that much." Lia agreed, still staring out at the water, her white turtleneck almost glowing against the dark sky. " Hey."

Alexis looked up.

" Yeah?"

" Who was that guy anyway?"

" Who, Zane?"

" Is that his name?"

" Yeah. Zane Trusedale. He's Syrus' older brother."

" I thought they were related. They have the same confused face."

" You noticed it too, huh? That's how I knew which one of the freshmen was Zane's little brother. But the thing is, on Sy, it looks adorable. But on Zane…"

" Not so much, right?"

" Yeah, not so much."

" It's funny, I don't recall Syrus ever saying he had a brother."

Alexis bit her lip, and tried to not look guilty.

" They don't have the best relationship going on between them."

" What, like Zane picks on Syrus or something-"

" _I won't_!"

The shout, echoing over the rocks and magnified by the cliff, shocked the two girls out of their idle conversation and set them instantly on high alert. Alexis jumped up, hands still holding the yellow jacket closed over her chest as Lia scrambled to a standing position, flicking her eyes back and forth for the source of the noise.

Alexis spotted it first.

"There!" She pointed to an inlet just slightly off to the right of the path they'd taken to get to the lighthouse. She squinted against the very last ray of sunlight that was brightening that little cove, and caught sight of a bush of blue hair, frantically waving back and forth.

" Syrus?" Lia muttered from beside her. But Alexis' eyes had found something much more interesting to look at. A much tamer, much darker mop of turquoise hair, situated too close too the fretting Slifer boy for it to yield any good outcomes. Alexis' heart leapt into her throat as the taller of the two figures in the cove marched forward to where the smaller one was backing up.

' _Oh Zane, what have you done now?_'

" Who's that with him?" Lia asked, her eyes narrowing as she took in the defensive posture Syrus was sporting.

" Trouble." Alexis muttered, turning down the path and darting towards where the two brothers were facing off.

" What? Who?" Lia shouted, running after her.

" Just hurry up, I don't think Zane's kidding around this time!"

" _Zane_?!" Her tone was incredulous. " You mean _that's_ Syrus' _brother_?! That guy threatening him over there is his _brother_?!"

" I told you they didn't have a good relationship!"

" I thought you meant like name-calling and kicking each other in the shins under the table! You know, regular sibling stuff!"

" Trust me, there is _nothing_ regular about their relationship!" Alexis rounded a bend in the path and jumped down onto the rocks that led over to where Zane was forcing Syrus back with strong steady steps.

" Zane!" She shouted and darted down, grabbing his arm and holding it to her, as though her strength alone could hold him in place. He started at the extra weight suddenly pressing against his side, and turned his head to look at her with an expression of mild surprise. His eyebrow quirked upward, but the grim set of his jaw belied the almost comical gesture. He shifted his arm slightly to accommodate her bulk around it, but other than that, gave no indication of ceasing in his actions. He shot yet another cold look at his younger brother, one that had the boy stuttering and flailing backwards to get as far away from the man Alexis was desperately trying to pull back. Lia came stumbling over the rocks, cursing and panting, as Syrus tripped over a rock at his heel and went flying back into the salty water behind him.

" Merde," Lia panted, doubled over, " I do more running in this place than I ever did in physical education."

She pulled herself upright and looked around at the scene, looking utterly lost and confused. Alexis could only imagine how it looked (her, wrapped around the ever stoic Zane, who was wearing a darker-than-usual expression, and Syrus, sitting in the water, foamy waves breaking against his small form) to an outsider. She blinked once, and then rubbed her eyes. When the sight didn't disappear, Alexis heard her murmur something she was pretty sure couldn't be repeated in _any_ conversation, polite or not.

The hazel eyes landed on Syrus again, and this time his predicament seemed to register with her. Lia ran forward, splashing in the cold wetness and, ignoring the spray, crouched down to offer Syrus a hand. When the boy (who was looking down at his lap, and trying to forget his brother was standing only a few meters away) ignored it, Lia huffed, wrapped an arm under his, and gave a jerk. Syrus went upwards, and stumbled against her at the sudden shift of altitude. Lia led him, none too gently, to the shore.

" Idiot." Alexis heard her mutter affectionately, motioning him towards a rock. Alexis let go of Zane's arm and started over, shooting the taller boy a hard look.

" Is he okay?" She ventured, kneeling down beside the two.

" He's fine." Lia reached over and started to unbutton the red jacket. Syrus gave a slight moan of protest, but didn't make a move to stop her. " It's just a little water. But it _is_ getting cold out."

" We should get him out of those wet clothes, is what you're saying." Alexis sighed, and reached over to squeeze some of the excess water out of his hair. " Hey Sy, help us out here, okay?"

A tiny nod.

" Lift your arms." Lia instructed in her usual, curt manner. Syrus raised his arms up, and Alexis helped the brunette pull the sopping jacket off of his dripping body. Lia turned to her companion.

" Do you mind giving up the jacket?" She asked, not noticing that her one hand had taken to brushing the wet bangs out of the silver eyes. Alexis smiled and slipped the yellow jacket off, handing it over. Lia lay it over Syrus' quaking shoulders.

" Let's get you back to your room, okay?" Lia said, gentler than Alexis had ever heard her. The blonde watched the two started up the path to the red dorm, Lia almost pulling a reluctant Syrus, before she rounded on Zane.

" What were you doing?!" She hissed.

" What was necessary." In the past, the calm reply would have soothed her, but her nerves were still raw from earlier and the sound of Syrus' stifled sobs echoing down off the path (accompanied by Lia's hopeless attempts to shush him) was only serving to enrage her more.

" Making your little brother cry is _necessary_?" She spat the word like a disease.

" You wouldn't understand." Zane scoffed, and he started to walk up that path the two girls had taken to get to the brothers. But something inside of Alexis (something that had given way when Chazz had sputtered that fateful name, something that had leapt up and defended Syrus and Jaden and Chumley) bubbled up in her being and her self control yielded to it with an almost audible snap.

She grabbed the collar of Zane's coat as he walked by and whirled him around to look her in the eyes. The first glazed expression of shock (something she hadn't seen on his face in a _long_ time) may have heartened her, had her entire vision not been bleeding to red and her teeth clenched together in feminine fury.

" _Don't_," she snarled warningly into his face, " try to tell me that I don't understand. Don't tell me that I wouldn't get it, or that it isn't any of my business because it _is_!"

" I fail to see how." Zane drawled, and Alexis had to wonder if maybe he was just trying to piss her off. As she tightened her grip and dragged his impassive face closer to her scowling one, she decided that if that was what he was doing, it was working _perfectly_.

" The second you involve _my friends_ it becomes my business, and Jaden and Lia would both agree with me."

" Syrus is _my_ brother." Zane said, and a bit of ice entered his voice as he stared down at her. But Alexis, who had known him since Atticus had made friends with the stiff, humourless duelist, was more than equal to it.

" And he's _my_ friend." She shook him. " And you made him cry."

" It's not my fault if he can't take criticism, Lex."

" What you say to him isn't _criticism_!" Her eyes blazed. " It's _cruel_ and _vicious_."

" You've never cared before."

" I've never _met_ him before." She let him go and looked pleadingly into his eyes. " Syrus is a sweet, good kid. He's trying his best, and all his friends recognize that. Why can't you?"

Zane moved away from her, and turned to look at the dark sky, with his face hidden, all she could garner from him was his steady, emotionless voice.

" Because you know as well as I do that his best isn't going to be good enough." Alexis could almost swear she heard him sigh regretfully. " Not here."

" By whose standard, Zane?" All the fight had gone out of her, because she knew, in his own, twisted way, he was right, and while she wanted to encourage Syrus, she knew he would never live up to any standards at his current level of dueling. She knew Zane was trying to help, trying to make his brother stronger, but still…

" Did it ever occur to you that Syrus is _Syrus_, and not _you_?"

Zane gave a little chuckle, but it was dark, cruel thing, and it sent a shiver of fear down Alexis' back.

" Who's going to let him be himself? Who exactly is going to let him be anything but _my_ younger brother?"

" Jaden." The name sprang automatically from her mouth.

" Is that so?" It was a loaded question, and she knew it, but the memory and Syrus' pathetic whimper in the face of someone who should be encouraging him spurred her onwards.

"Yes." Her voice suddenly felt a whole lot stronger. " Jaden and Chumley and Bastian and everyone accept Syrus for who he is. They like him because he's _Syrus_, and not just _Zane's little brother_. They…they're encouraging him, and telling him to believe in himself and despite everything you've done to stop that he was starting to!"

Her fury had returned, full throttle, and she let it. Her blood rushed, hot and heavy, through her body, and she squared her shoulders, marching around his intimidating form and staring into his face, hidden by the first shadows of the evening. She held in her trembling and thought of Syrus and Jaden's faces when they'd learned about the tag team duel, and then the horrified, broken look in Syrus' eyes when he saw Power Bond, and even the dry, shaky sobs that had escaped him as Lia had led him, wet and defeated, back to his dorm room to get away from the sight of his big brother.

" So you're going to blame me for his faults?"

" No." The voice wasn't Alexis'.

It wasn't even female.

Both Obelisk students turned to look at the path that led to the Slifer dorm. Walking down it, his face set in the closest thing to a scowl Alexis had ever seen it, was Jaden Yuki, his brown eyes flashing murderously at Zane. Lia followed a step behind, her eyes downcast.

" We're blaming you for wrecking his confidence." He finished, nodding to Alexis, but keeping his eyes on the older boy.

" You're Zane, right?" It wasn't a question. " Syrus seems to be under the impression that he has to give that Power Bond card you gave to him back."

" That's what I told him."

Jaden's entire face darkened and Alexis realized it was the first time she'd ever seen Jaden angry. In fact, it was the first time she'd seen him in any sort of mood that wasn't happy and carefree. His eyes had narrowed and his entire body was held taunt and threatening, glaring into Zane's unmoving features.

" Tell me something." Jaden hissed, and the threat lingered just below his words. " What kind of brother tells a kid that he isn't worthy to use a card, and then demands it back?"

" The kind that knows his younger brother better than anyone." Lia walked to stand beside her, still ignoring everyone, not even looking up at Zane's words.

" If you honestly think Syrus is a failure," Jaden closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Abruptly, his entire demeanour changed, and the tenseness left his stance. His eyes opened, and while they weren't as open and friendly as they normally were, the cold, sharp look had left them. The air around the group thawed considerably and, next to her, Alexis heard Lia let out a low breath.

" …then you don't know anything at all!"

Jaden let a smirk spread across his face as he looked at Zane, and while the other boy remained unaffected, Alexis felt her heart jump into her throat at the confidence and self assurance that radiated off of Jaden like a bright, glowing heat.

" You think so, do you?" Zane's voice was emotionless, but there was the barest hint of a challenge in his tone, and Jaden jumped on it.

" I don't think so, I _know_ so!" His smile was too charming for Alexis to groan at the cheesy line. " And I'll duel ya to prove it."

" A duel with a Slifer?" Zane eyed him from top to bottom, as if assessing something about him. With a smirk, he closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders in a way only Zane could manage to make look cool.

" Sure, it's been a while since I went slumming."

Beside her, Lia gave a twitch.

" Okay then!" Jaden gave Zane a stunning smile, but it lacked some of the sincerity everyone else present was used to. He winked, and gave the two-fingered salute that he would come to be known for. " Get your game on!"

" Jaden."

Lia's voice, very flat and very controlled, broke through the exhilarated atmosphere Jaden had created with his upbeat declaration. The party turned to look at the girl next to Alexis, and Jaden almost flinched. Alexis glanced over, and felt the air around her chill and solidify in ice crystals.

Lia wasn't looking anywhere but directly into the eyes Zane had turned on her. And in her gaze was more hatred and fury than Alexis would have believed her frail, wispy body could have held.

" Kick this bastard's ass."

And above them, the first star of the evening glimmered into view.

* * *

Wow, what a week! I'm so sorry I couldn't update sooner, but I had some werious work to do in my Philosophy class, and an English report and...Let's jsut say grade 12 is milking me for all I'm worth. But I'm back, and today you'll get two chapters for the price of one, and a little something extra later on. Now that I've apologized, how's about we get to some translations:

Dieu, je dois obtenir une image de ceci!" - God, I need to get a picture of this!

Obelisk Girls's Uniforms - I don't see any of teh other girls, in any of the other dorms (provided there _are_ any) being forced to wear outifts like that. Even most of teh boys have their own variation on their uniforms. Why do the girls have to prance around in those stupid skirts? That's it, my new goal is to get alexis in a pair of jeans and a loose T-shirt before second year!

Waiting until Alexis is ready to talk - the first signs of empathy! Yeah, character developement. It'll be a while before you find out exactly what has happened to Lia, but I'm gonna come right out and say this: Lia has not had a _tragic_ past. She's had her share of heartbreak, and it's been hard, but it wasn't _tragic_. It might've been a little sadder than the nrom, but she's dealt with it. (In entirely the wrong way, might I add. Geez, the repair work I'm gonna have to get Jaden to pull.)

Zane - Holy flippin' shit, I _LOVE_ this side of him! I love writing him out and finding all his little quirks and reasoning out his horrible behaviour when it comes to Syrus. Just wait. I have layers upon _layers_ of things I wanna peel back when it comes to Zane, and it will be so much fun. Oh, and for those of you who are violently pissed about his little speech to Sy, don't worry. He'll get his comeupance. (Just not for a while yet).

Lia and Zane - There's a reason she hates Zane so much. Put it this way. Lia is fond of Jaden, empathizes with Alexis, and feels oddly protective of Syrus.

So, see you very soon with the next chapter. I hope you've enjoyed this one.

MoS


	13. The Hero

Warnings: Lia analysis (You've all been waiting for it!), and a closer look a Jaden.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Lia was completely lost.

Her forte was the classroom, where there were strict rules and facts didn't change. She thrived on dates and figures and analysis; on math and science and history. She was at home at a desk, a pencil in her hand, a highlighter tucked behind her ear, and a test paper laid out, crisp and white, in front of her. That was her domain and before she came to Duel Academy, she'd never strayed far from it.

But Duel Academy, it seemed, was determined to shake up the carefully controlled world she lived in.

It had taken one smile from the cute boy next to her in history class, and she suddenly found herself racing along with him and any other idiot he could convince, off on crazy adventures, into spooky houses and cramped coffins and moonlit chambers with a strange runes scraped into the ground. Before coming to the island, Lia would never have been caught dead in such company, never even have given a thought to being a part of that sort of high-jinx and mischief that was sure to get her into trouble.

But Jaden Yuki was proving, time and again, to being very good at getting under her guard.

She wasn't a friendly girl, not by any means. Her tendency was, when confronted by new people, to speak sarcastically in a cool manner, looking down the end of her nose and trying to make herself look strong. Her barbs and jibes would fly out of her mouth and sting at the people around her. She was used to being called a bitch, and she was used to sitting alone at lunch. Who'd want to hang out with someone who insulted you, anyway? It was a lonely existence, but it was one Lia had endured because it was the only one she really knew how to cope with. Meeting new people frightened her worse than anything, and, under the ingrained belief that no one was going to like her, she became a self-fulfilling prophesy, pushing most people she came into contact with away before they had the chance to get close, and find her to be unattractive and not someone they would want to be friends with.

Lia had always reasoned that she wouldn't be disappointed if there was nothing to be disappointed about.

She knew that for someone as driven by ambition as she was, her opinion of herself was almost pathetic, and her ideals for social interaction dismally low.

And then, Jaden had extended his hand to her in friendship.

She'd rebuked it, of course; just as she'd done with every other offer of the like. But where her other encounters had eroded away after several harsh words and cold refusals, Jaden seemed immune to her sarcastic tone and prickly manner, letting her insults (which had begun to slide into the dangerous realm of 'cruel' in her desperation) run off his back like water on a duck's. For all her iciness and bitchy reputation, Jaden only seemed interested in getting past her wall of thorns and into the place where the lonely little girl she really was resided.

And, despite her best efforts, he'd made it.

She'd tried to stop him, but something about his persistence, and something about the way he went out of his way to make her happy (doing his homework, taking notes in class, getting decent grades on his tests), just crept up over walls and under her skin and made her think that maybe, just maybe, there was a slight possibility that Jaden actually cared about her.

The way he'd thrown his arms around her after his duel in the abandoned dorm opened her heart forever to him.

She'd heard the whole story later (Titan and the Shadow Realm, and her and Alexis' souls apparently on the line), but all she'd known in that instant was that there were people in the world who were willing to take a risk to help her out. There were people who were willing to brave shadows and strangling mist and creepy villains, for _her_.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so warm.

And instinctively, she let her guard down, just a little, wary of the consequences, but more than a little curious to see what would happen.

Jaden, who'd worked so hard, finally found his friendliness returned, in the awkward, unsure manner that was the only way Lia knew how to be friends.

Syrus, who'd been intimidated by her, smiled up at her, and latched onto her immediately for the comfort she didn't know how to give, but was willing to learn.

Chumley, who'd never given her much thought, treated her like she was no different from anyone, like she wasn't an 'Academic Freak', or 'The Wicked Bitch of Ra Yellow'.

Lia, who'd avoided deep relationships as much as she could, found herself opening up, smiling and laughing, realizing that maybe this time, she wouldn't get hurt.

For the first time in long while, it didn't matter that she wasn't the prettiest, or the nicest, or didn't have the most money. She could just be her, and Lia discovered that those people would accept that.

Lia let herself have friends.

And somewhere, when she'd realized that Chazz had set Jaden and Syrus up, she realized how far she was willing to go for them, even after such a short time.

She'd walk through fire for them, because she knew they'd do the same for her.

And, with that resolve steeled in her mind, she found that she absolutely _despised_ Zane Trusedale.

Syrus had always been a nervous wreck, in all the (admittedly brief) time she'd known him. He had a tendency to shake and stutter, and had a cowardly streak that usually gave way to courage, if he was encouraged right, and Jaden was there to boost his confidence. But the fact remained that Syrus obviously had low self-esteem, lower than average, and Lia had deduced, taking one look at the sniveling boy, that it had to have stemmed from somewhere. Even the normal adolescent tendency to go through patches of self-hate weren't enough to explain away the sheer _intensity_ Syrus' low opinion of himself.

And while Lia herself hadn't exactly made peace with her own self-image and body, she was a far cry from the borderline masochism Syrus seemed to put himself through each day.

Lia found herself alternating between being intrigued (what had driven Syrus to such a point? It _had_ to be something that had a lot of influence in his life, or else the effects wouldn't have been so severe), being disgusted (who in their right mind would be willing to do _that_ to someone as gentle and kind as Syrus?), and being very, very afraid (Syrus was a reminder of the way she could've turned out, if she hadn't gathered her strength and pushed the world away, forcing herself not to let the opinions of other people matter).

She watched him, genuinely surprised by the (far and few between, but still very much _real_) bouts of courage and strength Syrus seemed to show when the circumstances allowed it. The displays struck a cord somewhere in her, but for a time, she was content to ignore it, choosing instead to explore the colourful personalities presented to her when she thawed out a bit.

But then Syrus had thrown himself at her in tears, sensing some kind of kinship with her, a kindred soul, and sobbed against her as she tried vainly to get control of the situation. And in the midst of tears and pain, the broken little boy in Syrus confessed to her that he hated the person who tormented him, and the lost little girl in Lia reared her head and cast aside her fear of letting anyone close.

Her embrace hadn't been steady, but the second time round, as she sat him down on the bed and went to fetch extra clothing, her arms had been surer as Syrus had dissolved into another fit of tears, more hysterical than the last. She'd shushed him, and held him in a way she vaguely remembered her grandmother holding her the day the dam she'd built up for herself finally collapsed and had a flood of tears streaming from her burning eyes. She'd whispered to him in French, toweling his hair and just letting the poor boy cry.

That was how Jaden had found them.

She'd handed Syrus over to Jaden, who was undoubtedly more capable, and would have been mesmerized by the fury in his eyes if she hadn't been burning that face into her memory.

She'd only seen a flash of him, but her eyes were good, and she knew she'd never forget the look in his eyes as he stared down at Syrus.

Contempt. Disappointment. Anger.

And worst of all, _apathy_, as if his own brother meant nothing to him.

Zane Trusedale was a very handsome man. Sharp, neat hair; cool, sexy eyes; and a well-toned, athletic body. He had the face of a god and walked as though he owned the earth. He carried with him an air of confidence that quite often slipped into arrogance, but it was a well-deserved arrogance, if his reputation was anything to go by. There was an invisible wall around him, an aura of 'look all you want, but don't you _dare_ touch me', and when he'd looked at her, Lia felt as though she were being gazed at from a high throne. Zane Trusedale had the air of a god, the strut of a king, and the body of an Adonis, and Lia was honest enough with herself to admit that if she hadn't seen Syrus' sopping, defeated form (and also if she hadn't already decided she was attracted to the brainy, well-cultured type – a cute accent was a plus -) then she may have drooled a little.

As it was, she ended up only seeing the bastard who had crushed Syrus' confidence before it had even had the chance to develop.

And she hated him for it. So, confused as she may be by the proceedings (duels were _not_ her strong suit. There was a screeching hunk of metal that she was pretty sure was called a 'Cyber…_Something_… Dragon' rearing up behind Zane and Lia wasn't even sure _how_ it got there, let alone what it was going to _do_), she was going to sit and watch Jaden and Zane duke it out until one of them emerged the victor, and so help her, if Zane won, she was going to march up to him and deck him so hard he'd be bruised until he graduated.

If there was one thing that Lia Shanner hated above all else, it was a bully.

And in her mind, that was all Zane Trusedale was ever going to be.

**_**

Jaden hadn't been completely sure of it, but the way she had said those four words had confirmed it.

Lia hated Zane.

And Jaden was ready to admit that, had he been more of that sort of person, he'd probably hate Zane too.

But, seeing as how it just wasn't in him to actually _hate_ anybody (not that full-blown, cold fury, never forgiving hatred that he'd seen in Lia's eyes), Jaden found the best he could manage was mild contempt, and a great deal of pity. He wanted to hate Zane (for saying cruel things to Syrus, for making Syrus cry, for causing Syrus to be afraid of everything around him), but the most he could do was look at the older boy who saw his younger brother as a failure, and shake his head in disappointment.

Because Zane could be the best duelist in the school (from the way he was playing, he probably was, but hey, Jaden had always been up for a challenge) and he could grow to be the greatest duelist in the world (he'd have to get passed Jaden first though), and he could even become the next King of Games, and all Jaden would ever feel for him would be pity for his near-sightedness.

Syrus had more potential than anyone, even his own brother, seemed to realize.

It shone through at certain moments, when the proverbial 'darkness before the dawn' was at its darkest, when there seemed to be only a slim chance. At moments when everything seemed hopeless, Syrus came through an almost frightening amount of success, driven by loyalty and the courage he didn't believe himself to have. Jaden had seen Syrus, in the middle of a Shadow Duel, his knees shaking and his teeth chattering, darting over and slamming his small form against at coffin, trying to help his friend (completely unaware of his own bravery) get out. When it came down to it, Syrus was someone Jaden was more than ready to count on, and the fact that Zane couldn't seem to grasp that made Jaden infinitely sadder than he ever thought possible.

It meant that he knew Syrus better than his own brother, and Zane didn't know anything at all.

He'd meant it, those words he used to challenge Zane in the dying sunlight. They hadn't been just a taunt, just a tactic to lure Zane into a duel. They'd been the truth that Jaden thought Zane clearly needed to hear, even if the older boy was just going to ignore them.

Jaden honestly believed that Zane didn't know anything about his own brother.

The great, twisting beast that Zane called the Cyber End Dragon reared its gleaming head and let out a metallic roar. If Jaden had been any less of a person, he may have yelped and jumped backwards. But fear (true, gut wrenching fear) wasn't something Jaden often experienced, and he sure as Hell wasn't about to roll over and play dead for any duel monster, not even that razor edged mass of metal. He had his Winged Kuriboh cooing comforting words in his ear and Jaden was sure that, even if he did lose (and that Dragon was beginning to make it look like he just might), he wasn't going to come out any worse for wear. He'd faced down the best duelist in the whole school, even gotten a compliment from him and to Jaden, that meant he wouldn't really lose to Zane. He'd just have to practice more if he wanted to beat the other boy.

If Jaden had been more of a thinker, and not just letting his gut guide him when he got into the heat of a duel, he may have found it ironic (before this year, he hadn't even _known_ what that word meant. Paying attention in class was starting to pay off. He could actually _understand_ some of the words Bastian used on a regular basis.) that he had somehow managed to gain Zane's acknowledgement while he was fighting for Syrus.

"Wha-! Eight thousand?!" He heard Chumley exclaim somewhere off to his right as Cyber End dragon's attack points doubled due to Power Bond's effect. (He may also have found it ironic that Zane had played the card that had caused Syrus so much misery.)

" Shiny, eye-catching, and too big to be prudent." Lia's voice was edged with ice. " Most guys compensate with cars. Zane and Monsieur Kaiba are the only people I know who use dragons to make up for their small –"

" Lia!" Jaden bit his lip to keep from laughing at Alexis' scandalized tone.

" What?"

" Don't be crude!"

" I'm French! I can be as crude or sexual as I want to be, and it will still sound hot!"

" Don't you dare try to hide behind a _stereotype_!"

" Is this…normal?"

Jaden's head shot up to look at Zane's confused face. He was frowning and there was a little crease in his forehead. For a second, he so resembled his brother that Jaden couldn't help but smile softly.

" Is what normal?"

Zane gestured vaguely to the two (mildly and friendly) bickering girls.

" Those two."

" Oh, that." He grinned as Lia's face went slightly red and she glared at Alexis. " That's just how Lia lets you know she likes you."

Zane raised a turquoise eyebrow.

" Is she going to be very disappointed when you lose?"

Jaden had no trouble detecting the barb, but his temper was already cooled and with his Kuriboh nuzzling his cheek, any ill will he may have felt was draining away.

" At me, no." Zane seemed surprised that he had so easily accepted that he was going to lose. " You might want to avoid her in the halls though."

" Oh?"

" She's got a few heavy books, and wicked aim."

Zane's answering smirk was just the tiniest bit arrogant.

" I'd love to see her try."

Inwardly, Jaden winced, and wondered if trying to convince Zane not to push Lia would be a good idea. But Zane merely raised his arm and flung it outward, grim look on his face.

" We may as well end this here and now." Somewhere, Lia snorted at his line.

" Cyber End Dragon, attack Mud Ball Man!" The rest of whatever Zane was saying was lost under the burning, crackling roar of the metal beast as all three of its mouths opened wide and release a pale yellow beam at his monster. The rush of heat (that shouldn't really be present from _holograms_) knocked him to his feet as white spots danced in front of his vision. Breathing hard, he let the attack wash over him, Kuriboh gripping his shoulder with its claws and flapping its wings helplessly against the hard wind generated by that final blast.

' _I guess for you, this is real_.' He thought sympathetically, reaching up to steady the loosening grip of the tiny monster. Somewhere through the light, he saw Zane squinting at him in confusion, and he realized that it must look as though he were holding empty air to anyone else. It was with minor satisfaction that Jaden realized that, for all his great dueling skills and amazing cards, Zane didn't have the power to talk to his monsters the same way Jaden did. It brought a smile to his face.

' _Something I can do that Zane can't_.' His smile grew, gently patting the wild brown fur on the top of the spirit's head. ' _If it's just this one thing, then I'm fine with that_.' Kuriboh made a cooing noise, and Jaden rubbed the base of its wings absentmindedly, never noticing, as the wind died down, Chumley staring at his left shoulder, where the mass of brown fur with wings was resting.

" I guess I was right then." Zane's emotionless voice broke through Jaden's musings. He looked up into the older boy's blank face, and found the pity rising up once again.

' _A sweet duel like that, and he doesn't even crack a smile_?' Jaden wondered if Zane ever smiled. ' _This guy needs to learn to loosen up_.'

" Alexis, does he even _have_ a range of facial expressions, or is 'I'm better than everyone' blank face the only one?" Lia asked snidely, smirking almost cruelly. Zane seemed to pay her no mind, picking his cards off the duel disk and replacing them in his deck.

" No, you're still wrong." Jaden forced a playful smile on his face when all he really wanted to do was grab Zane by the shoulders and shake some sense into him.

" Hate to break it to you, but I won."

There was just the barest hint of a threat in his voice, but Jaden had faced down worse.

" I never said you weren't a good duelist." The sincerity of his smile dropped at little. " Just not a good brother."

" And what exactly makes you the judge of that?"

Behind him, he heard Lia mutter something in French and start to walk forward. From the corner of his eye, he saw Bastian reach out and haul her back, his grip firm and his lips set in a grim line as she tried to protest.

" Let Syrus keep Power Bond." Jaden clenched one of the fists at his side. " Give him a chance to prove himself."

" I've already given him tons of those." Zane's voice was cold, but there was a hint of intrigue that Jaden jumped on.

" You've given the Syrus _you_ know tones of chances." And Jaden let his smile burn almost charmingly bright in the darkness of the pier as he thought of Syrus.

" But you've never even met the Syrus _I_ know."

Zane merely raised his eyebrow again.

" If you did, you would _never_ have called him a failure."

It felt good, Jaden realized, to be able to say that. To be able to throw it in Zane's face that while he may know the boy Syrus used to be, he had no way of knowing the man Syrus was slowly growing into with each passing day. Zane had never come by, never stopped to talk to his brother in halls, never come to see any of Syrus' duels, Jaden reasoned, so how could possibly have seen how much Syrus had _grown_ in the past few months? How could Zane possibly have realized how strong Syrus had become?

How could Zane, who took no interest in his brother, possibly understand how great a person Syrus was, would be, and always had been?

If it had been anyone else, Jaden was pretty sure he might have hated them. But looking at Zane, with his blank face and his great reputation, and the sheer loneliness that seemed to roll off of him in waves, Jaden found himself only able to pity the older boy, for never having learned to get off his high horse and have some fun.

" Syrus is lucky," Zane's voice was an omission, " to have someone like you willing to stick up for him."

" He's my best bud!" Jaden explained enthusiastically.

" He can keep the card." Zane was turning around, and walking off, his head held high, but his face hidden. " You tell him that. He can keep Power Bond." Zane didn't stop walking, but Jaden suddenly had the oddest sensation that Zane was bowing to him.

" I'd like to see what the Syrus _you_ know is capable of."

" You will, don't worry."

" Let me go, Bastien!"

Jaden looked over to see Lia still struggling against a thoroughly bored looking Bastian, who waved him over. Alexis was darting after Zane, half turning around to call out a goodnight to them all before quickening her pace to walk beside the other Obelisk. Lia shot a scathing look after her, an almost betrayed expression on her face.

" You'll just run after him and cause trouble." Bastian said diplomatically, tugging at the arm he was holding.

" I won't!"

" What were you going to do then?"

" Nothing, just talk to him!"

" By talk, you mean scream."

" No!"

" In French."

" I wasn't."

" Loud enough for the whole island to hear you?"

" You're making all that up."

" Am I?"

" Yes."

" Really?"

" Of course."

" So you weren't going to give Zane Hell for picking on Syrus?" Bastian's gaze was so knowing Jaden was almost sure he could read Lia's thoughts.

" No!" She protested, but looked away under his gaze. " Not at all. Of course not. No. …Okay, maybe a little. …A bit. Just a few insults."

She huffed.

" Okay fine, I was going to scream at him, happy?"

" Exuberant." Bastian tugged at her arm again, and reached down to grab her wrist. " We'll be heading back to our dorms now." He said, dragging the brunette away. " See you gentlemen in the morning."

" I can walk on my own." Lia sounded peeved.

" I know, I just like being a gentlemen."

" I don't need you to be."

" Oh, but I enjoy it."

" Well, I don't. You're making me feel like I'm delicate."

" Well, aren't you, my dear blossom?"

" Call me that again, and no one will find your body."

Bastian's laugh echoed back to the Slifers as the two Ra's disappeared around a bend.

" Charming to the last."

" You English men." Jaden could hear Lia's scoff. " So chauvinistic."

" You French women." He almost couldn't hear Bastian's voice anymore. " Always so pushy."

" They argue like they're married." Chumley said.

" Or related." Jaden grinned. " Let's head back."

" Yeah, we can tell Sy the good news." The large boy's stomach rumbled. " And maybe get some dinner too."

" Sounds like a plan."

As the two boys headed off in the direction of their dorm, Jaden had the strangest thought.

He wondered what kind of friend Zane needed.

* * *

Lucky number 13 already! Yes! Now, if only I can finish the entir year, we can move onto the Society of Light. And trust me, that'll be fun! On a completely different note, has anybody read the latest chapter of _Naruto_ yet? My inner NaruHina heart was beating sooo fast, I'm sure the whole house could hear it! Awesome confession, Hinata-chan!

Lia: She might be-

Shut up! I refuse to believe it! Long live NaruHina!

Lia:...Fangirl.

Oh, just for that, I'm going to introduce you to the wonderful world of fandom!

Lia: Oh God...No! no, no that's fine. I'm okay, really! I'll livw without it! Really!

Alexis, Jaden, take over here! I have a fangirl to craft! Muhahahahaha!

Lia:...Please don't ever do that again.

...Kay. ...To the bookstore!

Jaden: Why the bookstore?

Alexis: (shrug) To get manga, I guess. Now, let's see about those translations, huh folks?

Jaden: There really isn't much French...and not much that isn't obvious.

Alexis: Nice duel with Zane, by the way.

Jaden: Thanks! But why was Lia so mad when you ran after him?

Alexis: Lia doesn't like Zane much.

Jaden: Tell me about it.

Alexis: She's mad becasue I went off with him instead of sticking around to hang with you guys.

Jaden: Well, he's your friend too, right?

Alexis: He's more my brother's friend, if you think about it...

Jaden: Who's friend?

Alexis: Oh, no one, no one. Let's see what else we can interpret...Oh, the bit abouyt Lia's type. Brainy and well-cultured, with an accent. Now who could that be? (Smirk) Just wait until Mindy hears about this. She'll flip!

Jaden: What are you talking about? I don't get it!

Alexis: Why doesn't that surprise me? Um, okay what else? Oh, the Jaden internal thoughts on Syrus.

Jaden: Those were totally real. I can't understand why Zane refuses to acknowledge Sy, but I think I know why he's so sure that Sy is a failure. i mean, he hasn't been around for most of the story, has he? How can he make judgements about something he knows nothign about?

Alexis: You understand that, but you don't get the bit about Lia and her weakness for cute accents? Geez. Hey, wait, don't we ahve a bunch of good looking guys with accents scheduled for Year Three. (Reaches over to MoS' desk and grabs the rough outlines for Year Two and Three) Yeah, right here. We've got at least two. Wonder if that'll be a- What! No way!

Jaden: What? What is it?! (Tries to look at papers)

Alexis: (Holding papers above head, but still reading) I can't believe she would...I mean of all the people...That's mean that all this is...This is coming totally out of nowhere!

Jaden: What is, what is?!

Alexis: No way, cna't tell you. (Hides papers in bag) But if the audience is nice enough to join us next week, I'll try to give you a few hints for some of the upcoming plot twists in Year Two and Three!

Jaden: So come see us again! And Leave a review plase, because MoS has a very fragile ego!

Alexis: She says she doesn't care, but she does. A lot.

Jaden and Alexis: Bye now!~ We hope you've enjoyed it!


	14. The Drink

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol abuse, and delving into Lia's past some. Oh, and a gag at the end to lighten the somber mood.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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* * *

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**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" I don't know how to tell you this, guys, but _this_ is **not** hot sauce."

Lia swished the large red bottle around, turning her wrist this way and that, and causing the remaining liquid on the inside the container to splash up against the side. Jaden and Syrus watched as she brought the bottle up, sniffing the open top of the long neck. Over by the bed, Chumley shifted uncomfortably.

" Well, if it's not hot sauce, then what is it?" Syrus asked, eyeing the bottle with suspicion.

" You got any glasses?" Lia asked, still swishing the bottle. Syrus scurried to where their cups were kept and grabbed a chipped, but perfectly serviceable mottled green cup. He handed it to the girl, who proceeded to pour some of the pale red, almost pink, liquid into it. She spun it in the cup lightly, staring at it as if it might just tell her what was in store for her in the future.

" Well, what is it?" Jaden asked, leaning forward. Lia shot him a reprimanding look for his impatience, but, without further ado, brought the cup to her lips and took a deep drink.

Lia had stopped by earlier, looking for the jacket she'd lent to Syrus two days previous. At least, that was the excuse she'd given for coming all the way out to the Slifer dorms. Chumley, privately, believed that she was checking up on Syrus. He didn't honestly believe that she would take so much time out of her studies or her photography (because she'd had her camera hanging around her neck, and Chumley knew an 'eccentric artist type' when he saw them, and while Lia wasn't exactly that type, she had her moments) just to come and collect a jacket she'd done without for two days.

Her eyes had barely left Syrus, Chumley had noticed, even as Jaden had handed her the mass of yellow, and the two had gotten into a discussion of what had happened after Bastian had dragged her back to the dorm. If her outraged blush was anything to go by (and it probably was, seeing as how Lia didn't really blush all that much), she was furious at the accusation. She fought against Jaden's teasing with jibes and honest anger, but Chumley had smiled at her riled up face, thinking that it was nice to see her out of her shell once in a while.

Even after her insults had drifted into French and none of the boys could understand a word that was coming out of her mouth, the three boys were laughing and smiling until Lia seemed to realize that there was no way for her to win because it wasn't a competition. And then, rolling her eyes at them, but smiling in a soft little way that transformed her whole face (Chumley wasn't poetic, but she seemed less…_severe_, more approachable), she'd reached over and ruffled Syrus' hair, and opened her mouth to talk.

The sound of his father's raucous and carrying voice broke through their happy little gathering.

" What the-" Lia'd glanced towards the door, and Chumley had felt something cold settle in his stomach. It wasn't enough that his father was taking him away from people who actually believed in him, but now he was interrupting their last moments together.

His father had walked in (unceremoniously, teetering slightly as he walked, and his face a bright, familiar red), and set down a large, red bottle with a jalapeno pepper on the front onto the desk by the door.

" 'Ere you go, Chum!" He'd grinned at the boy by the bed. " A lil' somethan' to help you cope tamorro' whe' ya lose!"

He'd saluted the company, and wandered back out, Syrus and Jaden with dropped jaws and Lia eyeing him suspiciously.

" So…he gave us hot sauce?" Jaden had ventured, and Lia had hurried to disprove him.

She set down her cup, and Chumley felt just a little frightened by the look of concentration on her face.

" C'est rosé." She proclaimed, licking her lips.

" What?" Even Chumley wasn't sure exactly what she meant.

" Rosé." Lia fiddled with her cup. " As in the wine."

" It's wine?" Both Jaden and Syrus murmured, leaning close to examine the bottle. Lia hurriedly pulled it back.

" Oh no, lightweights stay away." She pinned them both with a glare. " I will _not_ have the two of you drunk."

"What about you?" Syrus whined. " You've had some."

" I was raised in Europe." Lia rolled her eyes. " Kids usually have a glass of wine –watered down of course- at the dinner table with their parents!" She put the bottle down and raised the cup (which was still half full, Chumley noted) to her lips. " I was raised on fine French wines." She downed the rest of the alcohol. " Grandmama insisted."

" Your grandmother insisted you drink wine?" Chumley asked, incredulous.

" Chablis and Irancy." Lia said proudly. " I may be a half blood, but Grandmama was adamant that I show some pride in my French roots."

" A half blood?" Jaden asked.

" My father was American." She grinned into the cup. " I spent a lot of time with his parents over the summers. That's why my accent isn't so thick. I learned to get rid of it."

" Bet that didn't go over well with your grandma."

" Grandmama is proud." Lia sighed. She refilled the cup, and sipped it. " She's got fire in her blood, and she's always trying to make me into her ideal of a French woman. She was always upset that Mama married an American, and not," here, Lia brought up her fingers to use air quotes " 'a good, strong French man'." She snorted, and Chumley had to wonder if the wine wasn't getting to her.

" It didn't matter." Lia muttered, and it was almost to herself. " Mama's making her happy now."

Then she blinked, and seemed to realize that she wasn't alone.

"But enough about my crazy family." Her smile was forced, and all three boys could tell she was trying to change the subject. " Chumley." She turned to look at him, and the feeling of doom hung in the air. " Why did your father give four minors wine disguised as hot sauce?"

" D-Dad…" Chumley tried to sound casual, but the words got stuck in his throat and came out strangled. " Dad…likes his wine…and his beer…he probably grabbed the wrong bottle…he probably meant to give us…well, me, hot sauce, and took one of his wine bottles instead."

" By why is the wine in a hot sauce bottle?" Syrus pushed, and Chumley felt cornered.

"I don't know, okay?!" He snapped. " Maybe he left his empty bottle on the packaging line for something, and got the bottles switched up, and got wine into the hot sauce bottle by accident."

" That doesn't make sense." Jaden said in a confused voice.

" And why would your dad have a wine bottle at work, anyway?" Syrus asked, equally confused.

Chumley looked away from them, blush colouring his cheeks, and refused to even spare Lia a glance, because he knew she was smarter than his two fellow Slifers, and the last glance he'd given her had revealed a puzzled expression on her face.

' _Don't_.' He begged mentally. ' _Please don't put it together. Don't figure it out. I've had enough pity for this before and I don't need it from you or anyone else. Just don't put it together._'

But Lia's expression had gone from puzzled to understanding.

" Chumley…" She started, but trailed off, biting her lower lip as if the action may reveal a more sensitive way to bring up the subject.

" Don't." he interrupted her thoughts. " Just…just don't, okay?"

Lia looked at him helplessly.

" Is…" She seemed determined to delve deeper. " Is he…does he…" She looked around wildly, trying to find the right phrase that wouldn't give away what they were talking about to the two confused boys. " Do you…get hurt?"

Chumley's head shot up abruptly as what she was getting at became clear.

"What?!" She had the decency to look ashamed. " No! Never! He'd never-No!"

" S-Sorry." She whispered. " Had to ask."

" What are you guys talking about?" Syrus butted in, looking between the two. Lia avoided his eyes.

"Not my story to tell, Sy." She murmured, all three boys jaws dropped as she poured herself a half a cup of wine and drank it. She pulled her mouth away and breathed deeply.

" It's good wine, Chumley." She got up. " Tell your father thank you."

" You're drunk." He said flatly, ignoring Jaden and Syrus' shocked faces.

" It'll take more than two and a half cups of Manteus to get me drunk." She stated from the door.

" Your cheeks are red." Chumley accused.

" It's hot in here." She countered.

" Not that hot."

" I'm not drunk, Chum." She rolled her eyes. " I may be the slightest bit tipsy." She pinned him with a glare with focused eyes. " Just the slightest bit, but it's nothing. I'm used to being like this. You don't have mildly watered down Chablis at dinner almost every night and not get used to taking some alcohol into your system." She walked in a straight line. " I'll be fine. This rosé isn't that bad. I just haven't had wine for a while, that's all."

" You're being informal." Syrus said, looking up at her. "You're being really open, and it's sorta weird."

" What do you mean by 'informal'?"

" You called me Sy." The boy answered, and Lia looked slightly surprised. " You always use my full name. This is…" he trailed off, smiling. " This is the first time you've ever called me by a nickname."

" And you're talking about your family." Jaden pointed out. " You never talk about your family."

" I told you, I'm just a little tipsy." Lia put her hand on the knob. " I get friendly and open up more when I have wine." She opened the door and started out.

" Should one of us walk you back to your dorm?" Jaden's question stopped her. With an irritated sigh, she turned around.

" I'm not drunk, I've barely even had any. Two and half cups of Manteus really isn't that bad!" Her cheeks flushed, but at least she was walking straight, Chumley noted. " I've had more potent wine in larger portions, and no, before you ask, I have never been full out drunk. The worst I ever got was too much white wine at my cousin's wedding last year, and even then it wasn't bad enough for me to have a massive hang over. I'll be fine walking back to my dorm. You guys help Chumley with his deck so he can win his duel thingy tomorrow so he can stay, alright?"

" You want me to stay?" Chumley felt genuinely surprised. He knew Lia was becoming more and more affectionate with Jaden and Syrus, but the fact that her circle of friends had extended to include him was something new to him.

" Of course I do, you're my friend, aren't you?" Lia rolled her eyes. " You kick your father's ass and show him how wrong he is about you, bien?"

The boys blinked at her.

" I'm going to bed now." She walked off. " Goodnight, boys!"

The three watched her form fade away into the shadows in the direction of the Ra dorms.

" So Lia's dad is American." Jaden mused. " Cool."

" Was." Chumley corrected him. " She said 'he _was_ American'"

" What, did he get a foreign citizenship?" Jaden joked, but Chumley's serious face cut his laughter short.

" I don't think…" The large boy looked at the place where Lia had sat, telling the three about her kin like she had never volunteered to do before.

" I get the feeling…that her dad isn't with them anymore."

Jaden fell silent, and looked over to the door.

" You mean he's…"

" Let's work on Chumley's deck, okay?" Syrus asked in a chipper voice. " It'll help us forget all the weirdness that's happened tonight."

"Yeah." Jaden agreed. "And after Chumley wins his match tomorrow, we can all go celebrate!"

The promise of a party was enough to get their minds off of Lia's family and into Chumley's deck.

**_**

As Syrus remembered the look on Lia's face when she'd realized she was downing wine instead of hot sauce, the sneaking suspicion that had crept up into his mind at the first sight of Dizzy Tiger finally clicked.

" He's drunk!" Syrus shouted, interrupting the explanation of Dizzy Angel's special ability. All eyes turned to the short boy but for once, Syrus could care less about all the attention, looking only at the tilting and (now) obviously inebriated angel that was whirring about on Mr. Huffington's side of the field.

" Sy, wha-?" Jaden started, but (to the shock of the company present) Syrus cut him off.

" That monster isn't dizzy!" He pointed an accusing finger. " He's _drunk_! He's blind, stinkin' _drunk_!"

" Now, Syrus, calm down-" Apparently, not even Professor Banner was able to get to him.

" You're playing _drunk_ monsters in a duel against your own son!" Syrus shouted in a shrill voice at Chumley's father. " What kind of an example do you think you're setting by playing _drunk_ monsters?!"

" Sy, there just cards. They're harmless." Jaden tried to reason, but it appeared Syrus was beyond reasoning.

" And the wine he gave us last night?" Syrus' tone was cold. " Was that 'harmless' too?"

" What wine?" Mr. Huffington's voice was grave, but Syrus couldn't mistake the surprise in it. For some reason, it only served to enrage him further.

" _You_ came upstairs last night, and gave the four of us a big red bottle that we thought was hot sauce!" Syrus glared at him. " But it wasn't. Lia had some, and she said it was wine!"

" B-But, I didn't…I don't remember doing that." The muscular man shook his head. " Why would I give alcohol to minors?"

" You said it was to help me today, after I lost."

Chumley's voice was slow, soft even, in the great expanse of the dojo the two combatants had chosen. All eyes turned to Chumley's form, his beady eyes dark and suddenly full of fire as he glared at his father.

" Did you expect me to drink it, so I would forget I lost?"

" Chumley, this isn't the time or the place for this sort of discussion." His father tried to sound authoritative, but something had given way in Chumley and the floodgates flew open without preamble.

" Then when is?!" He shouted. " When we're at home, where there's no one to hear it? When we're at the factory, where you pay the employees extra not to be nosy? You keep saying that 'this isn't the time or place', or 'we'll talk later', but we never do!"

Chumley took a step forward, ignoring the holograms that glittered around them, and looking only at his father. His eyes flashed with a determined, righteous fire, and the look on his face matched the one that he'd worn the night before as he confessed to his friends about being able to talk to his monster spirits.

" We never talk about it! Not ever!"

" This isn't something you can understand!" His father countered, looking distinctly uncomfortable, but making a good effort to cover it up with annoyance. " You're still a child and this is grown-up stuff! So stay out of it, and get back to the duel!" He made to draw a card, but Chumley (who was usually the first to back down) seemed to have finally found his courage.

" No Dad." Chumley lifted his chin and looked defiant. " We are going to talk about this."

" I said not now!" His father shouted, and for the first time, sounded a little desperate.

" I don't care what you said!" Chumley planted his feet. " _I_ said we're going to talk about this, and _I_ say we talk about it now!"

" You're a child!" Mr. Huffington roared, finally loosing his cool. Jaden winced and Pharaoh darted behind him for cover from the angry noises. But Syrus, surprisingly, was staring right back at the enraged man, neither flinching nor hiding, nodding his head to everything Chumley was saying.

" I'm the child who has to watch his father drink his life away!"

The words echoed in the silent room, even the man himself stunned. Chumley took a deep breath and composed himself, raising his head so that he was looking directly at his father. He squared his shoulders and stuck his chin out, and said the things everyone in the room could only assumed he'd waited years to get off his chest.

" I know you and Mom are having problems, okay?" He looked shy, but didn't stop making eye contact with his flustered father. " I understand that, maybe not completely, but I _do_ understand it. I also understand why you feel the need to go and get a drink once in a while. But every night Dad? Isn't that a little much?"

" You're too young to understand!" Mr. Huffington shouted, but it sounded something like a desperate plea.

" Too young to understand what?" Chumley challenged in a soft voice. " To understand what it feels like to feel like a failure? To understand what it feels like to feel inadequate? Too young to understand disappointment, or giving up, Dad?

" I may be a lot younger than you, but I know what it feels like to stop caring and just throw in the towel, because that's easy. I know what it feels like to be told I'm no good, and that I shouldn't even try." Chumley was starting to shake. " I know what that feels like, Dad, I understand it completely."

Chumley looked up at his father, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

" And I listened, Dad. I listened to everyone who told me that I wasn't worth it and I gave up, because I thought that was the only thing I could do! I stopped caring, and I stopped trying and I let everybody walk all over me! But you know something?" And here, despite the tear tracks on his face, Chumley started smiling. " I've learned something this year. I…I learned…I learned…that not trying is the same as failing. I learned that if I give up before I even give it a shot, then…then what's the point me even being here?"

" Why do you think I'm bringing you home? You haven't-"

It was the wrong thing to say.

"_Don't_!" Chumley shouted, his face red. " Don't say I haven't learned anything. Call me a loser, call me a failure, call me anything you want, but don't ever _dare_ say that I haven't learned anything, because I _have_!" He made a sweeping gesture towards Jaden and Syrus. " My friends taught me that giving up isn't something I should do! They showed me that…that failing once doesn't mean failing forever. I've learned that, no matter what, I need to try, because that's…because that's the way people achieve things, by not giving up, and _trying_."

Chumley looked his father in the eye.

" That's what I've learned, and it's about damn time you learned it too."

" Chumley…I…" But for once, Mr. Huffington's gusto had deserted him.

" Can you imagine what it's like for me, watching you do this to yourself?" Chumley pleaded. " Waiting up for hours, hoping you'll even make it home alright? Helping you to the couch, getting you painkillers, hearing you cry at night?!"

He was shaking.

" It's scary, Dad!" Chumley reached an arm up to brush his tears away. " It's the scariest thing I've ever seen, because I can't _do_ anything to make you stop! I have to sit there, and wait for you. Wait for you to come home, wait for you to stop crying, wait for you to realize what you're doing to yourself!

" I've been waiting for years for you to realize you need to stop, but you never do, and we never talk about it!" Before anyone noticed his movement, Chumley was across the dojo, his large hand resting on his father's bulging forearm. The boy had stopped crying, but there was a soft look in his small eyes that seemed to throw his father for more of a loop than his tears.

" If you want me to come home that badly, Dad, then I will." The hand on the arm squeezed. " But you have to promise me that you'll stop this, okay? You have to promise me you'll get help, talk to somebody, talk to Mom and get counseling, but it has to stop, okay?"

" But…Chumley, I…" Mr. Huffington seemed at a loss for the right words.

" You have to stop doing this to yourself, okay?" Chumley said softly. " If not for yourself, then for the people who-"

" That's enough, Chumley."

Mr. Huffington stood up straight, his face set in a grim line and the confused, broken look gone from his eyes. He fixed his son with a cold look before glancing over to Chumley's abandoned side. A strangely thoughtful look graced his features before it melted into a scowl once again. He shook Chumley's hand off of his forearm and raised the one that had the duel disk clamped onto it.

" Get back to your side of the field so that we can finish this!" He gestured to the empty side across from him.

" But Dad, I-" Chumley tried, but his father was in no mood, it seemed.

" I said get over to your side of the field son! We're going to settle this like men!"

" And here's where Lia would make a snarky comment." Jaden mumbled.

" I can't believe him!" Syrus raged. "I mean, the _nerve_ of this guy! After Chumley made such a moving speech, he just goes and throws it right back in Chum's face!"

" Syrus, hush." Professor Banner chided. " As upsetting as this turn of events is, it isn't our business. Let the Huffingtons work it out for themselves."

" But it's _wrong_!"

" I know that Syrus." For the first time, the man's voice sounded strained. " But there's nothing we can do. We have to believe in Chumley and his deck."

Syrus growled and whipped back to watch the match, only to reel in shock as he gazed up at the huge green beast that loomed over Chumley.

" Wha?" Syrus whispered. "But that's…"

" It's the cards we gave him to help him out." Jaden said, and there was a warmth in his tone that Syrus knew to be reserved for only his close friends. Jaden gazed up at the huge green koala with s bright smile on his face, Syrus mimicking him as they both grinned at the huge creature. On the other side of the field, Mr. Huffington stared at the monster with a blank face.

"You're friends gave you that card."

Chumley smile was bright enough to light up the whole room.

" Yeah, because they want me to stay here, with them."

His father was still looking at the Master of Oz, fixated on the hologram.

" You're friends…want you to stay that badly?"

" They want me to stay and prove that I can make it." Chumley pumped his fist into the air. " They taught how to never give up, so hit me with your best shot, Dad!"

" My best shot, eh?" Mr. Huffington looked away from the creature to his deck. " You want my best shot? Are you sure about that?"

" I want to show you that I won't give up, even if I fail." Chumley looked at his father with serious eyes. " I want to show you what I've learned."

" Alright then." Mr. Huffington brought his hand over his deck. " If you want my best shot, Chumley, you've got it!"

Chumley braced himself against the floor of the dojo and looked at his father. A sensation of strength rose up inside him, and, where he would have normally looked away from his father's severe gaze, he met it evenly. An intensity that matched Jaden's in the heat of a duel was reflected in his eyes as he stared down his father, his massive koala rearing up behind him like a guardian. The dojo went still, the silence heavy and thick in the air around the two duelists. Syrus sucked in a shaky breath as Professor Banner's fingers tightened in Pharaoh's fur, and Jaden stared out at the field, blank and glazed-eyed.

Mr. Huffington took a long, deep breath, and rested his hand on his deck.

"I surrender."

**_**

Omake

" I'm going to bed now." She walked off. " Goodnight, boys!"

The three watched her form fade away into the shadows in the direction of the Ra dorms.

" So Lia's dad is American." Jaden mused. " Cool."

" Was." Chumley corrected him. " She said 'he _was_ American'"

" What, did he get a foreign citizenship?" Jaden joked, but Chumley's serious face cut his laughter short.

" I don't think…" The large boy looked at the place where Lia had sat, telling the three about her kin like she had never volunteered to do before.

" I get the feeling…that her dad isn't with them anymore."

Jaden fell silent, and looked over to the door.

" You mean he's…"

" Let's work on Chumley's deck, okay?" Syrus asked in a chipper voice. " It'll help us forget all the weirdness that's happened tonight."

"Yeah." Jaden agreed. "And after Chumley wins his match tomorrow, we can all go celebrate!"

The boys only made it a few steps in before a voice called to them from the darkness of the trees outside their dorms.

" Um, guys?"

Chumley blinked as he recognized Lia's concerned and puzzled voice drifting back to them. He shared a glance with his two roommates.

" Lia?" Syrus whispered.

" What is it?" Jaden called back, with an edge in his voice. " Are you alright?"

There was a pause that rattled them more then they'd like to have admitted, and then Lia called back,

" Yeah, I'm fine, but…well…you'd better come see this."

" See what?" Chumley yelled back, but Jaden was already sprinting down the stairs, Syrus not too far behind him. The boys jumped the last few steps, Jaden's longer legs giving him an advantage over Syrus, and causing him to take the lead, as was the case in most of their adventures. Chumley lumbered after them, silently cursing Jaden's unexplainable need to _run_ everywhere.

Jaden came round a tree and stopped dead, looking in shock at the sigh before him. Unaware of his sudden halt, Syrus went crashing into him, and Chumley rammed into them, causing them to fall over and tumble to a heap at Lia's feet. She raised an eyebrow.

" This looks familiar."

" Yeah, yeah, very funny, Ra Girl." Chumley grumbled. "Now help us up."

Lia reached over and gave a yank on Syrus, who came free and let go of the limbs he'd had entangled in his own.

" Now," He asked, dusting himself off, " what was it that you wanted us…to…s…ee…"

Syrus trailed off as a plaintive 'mew' sounded from his left.

Pharaoh tottered up to the foursome, swaying back and forth on his paws, meandering unevenly around in a circle, mewling and trying to remain upright.

" What the Hell…" Jaden muttered under his breath as Pharaoh finally came to a distinct stop, and plopped himself down on his stomach. He raised his head, and let out a loud burp, followed by his collapsing and his immobile form lying on the ground.

" Is…he…" Syrus ventured as Chumley smacked himself in the forehead.

" Don't tell me…" He groaned.

Above them, Lia smirked.

" And you thought _I_ was drunk."

* * *

First of all, let me apologize. I am so beyond sorry right now, I can't even see the sorry anymore. The sorry is little more than a vague dot on the horizon to me. Please, please. please forgive me. I have had a hectic couple of weeks. We have university tours, and I had to go shopping for my prom dress, and I found it (yay!), and I had essays to write, and presentations to give, and a situation on my bus that has been resolved (finally!), and well, I've been really busy. Once summer hits, or Hell, end of June, because things tend to slow down right before exdams, I'll be much better at this, but for now, right in the middle of the semester, I'm a bit of a mess. I have to apply for my student loan, and accept my offer at university, and worry about my grades...god, gr.12 is hard. Not to mention that I have to start worrying about student loans and bursaries and scholarships...Ah well, the price of freedom, n'est pas?

Anywho, you'll get this chpater today, one tomorrow, one Thursday, and then one Friday, and something a little extra on Friday. Again, I am SO sorry, but school's gotta come first for me. On the plus side, I know where I'm going, and just accpeted their offer! So yay!

Tranlastions:

Rosé - it's a pink wine. Apparently, it's pretty good. When I'm in France this May, I'll see if I can find any.

Chablis and Irancy - Two famous wines from the region Lia grew up in. It's a major tourist spot, if my research is correct.

Grandmama - She will be featured in many of Lia's stories. Picture her as a stern, silver-haired, sharp-tongued old woman who doesn't take crap from anybody, with a proud attitude adn a heart of gold. The grandfather, Grandpapa, will be featured less, but he is cut of a somewhat meeker cloth, but can sneakily control his more volatile spouse without her realizing it. These are the people Lia was raised by. Recall the name Bastian dropped a few chapters ago. Beline. It means goddess, and the last name, which I don't ahve handy, means 'of the resurrected'. Can you guess who Beline is by now?

The drinking habits- Fans of the original Japanese show will know that instead of running a hot sauce company, Chumley's father had a drinking problem. I decided to combine the two, and make him a factory owner (perhaps even the owner of a successful change of hot sauce plants; Chumley and his father strike me as coming form money. Not rich, like Chazz, but being quite well off. Upper middle to low high class) with an alcohol problem. And I decided to make Chumley confront him about it. Having never encountered this sort of thing before 9my childhood has been relatively calm and peaceful and enjoyable) I was just writing what seemed to work. I meant no offense to anyone who has ever had this problem with a loved one, or wiuth themselves. I was in no way trying to diminsh or mock the struggle it must be. but I needed Chumley to really have his moment, and I wanted him to win a duel for once (because in the anime, even when Chumley has his moments, he still looses, while Jaden wins 99.99% of the time, and I find that unfair. And I really can't write duels, so I'm usually limited to following what happened in the canon. This si the first time I've changed the outcome of a duel. I can't do that often.)

Do you get hurt - Lia was asking if his father is an abusive drunk. I decided not to go with the stereotype, and simply make Mr. Huffington a sad drunk, who is having problems with his marriage that he doesn't want to face, and cries when he has too much to drink. Somehow, for Chumley, I see that as being more devestating. I mean, his father seemed to be this macho, strong figure in his life, so being forced to watch him break down like that must be heartbreaking. But I will try to fix it, I promise. There's a light at the end of the tunnel that I'm aiming for.

Manteus - A kind of rose wine. Lia is not drunk. She's French, and as I understand it, most European children, especially those in Italy and France, have watered down alcohol (usually wine0 at the dinner table under their parents' supervision. Lia, being raised by a proud Frenchwoman like Grandmama, would have, as she said, grown up on fine French wines. lia, as you will see, seems to ahve a taste for such things, if only because they remind her of home. She doesn't show it often, but she is jsut as homesick as any child would be at boarding school. And besides that, Lia is a year younger than everyone. Sometimes even I forget, but she is just 14 here, and barely even that. She's really only a child.

My dad was American. - _Was._ **_Was_**. Just thin about that for a while. It will come backa dn I WILL explain, but for now, jsut ponder that for a while.

I think this is about all I need to translate. Until tomorrow!

MoS

Alexis: Is she gone?

Jaden: Yeah, I think so.

Alexis: Okay then. Hi everyone! Wlecome to the first installment of **Plot Points**, the section where I, your lovely host Alexis Rhodes, will reveal upcoming secrets taht have to do with future plots of this story, and its sequels! here to help me is my assitant, Jaden Yuki.

Jaden: ...You're havng too much fun, Lex.

Alexis: Anyway, since this chapter had a lot of Lia in it, let's take a look at where our girl is headed, shall we?

Jaden: Is she gonna get togetehr with someone?

Alexis: Let's take a looksee (flips through outlines) Looks like there's romance in her future. But it's a bumpy road, let me tell you.

Jaden: Is this that thing with Bastian that I don't get?

Alexis: Well...no, that's giving too much away. But how's about this hint?

Jaden: First love...

Alexis: And true love...

Both: Aren't necessairly the same thing.

Alexis: And here's a little tidbit you might find intersting: In regard to the Zane/Syrus dynamic, the only thing I can say is that it's gotta hurt to heal!

Jaden: But how much does it have to hurt?

Alexis: Trust me, this isn't something we can use a bandaid solution on.

Jaden: And also-

Alexis: Jaden, that's enough secrets.

Jaden: Just one more?

Alexis: Oh, all right.

Jaden: Sweet! Pay very close attention to Lia when I duel, okay? The connection we ahve goes deeper than you might think.

Alexis: Well, that's all you'll get today, so we look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Jaden: As we say back home: Ja ne!

Alexis: What?

Jaden: Bascially, it means see you soon, or something like that. I never bothered to get the direct translation.

Alexis: I keep forgetting you're Japanese. You speak English very well.

Jaden: Thanks, I learned from this babysitter I had when I was a kid. He was from New York, or something, and he taught me English.

Alexis: Cool. (begins to walk off) Did you find it hard?

Jaden: (follows her) Some of the sounds were hard. It took me forever to get the...(both fade away into the distance)


	15. The Aftermath

Warnings: A few attacks on Lia as a person, and some swearing (I think).

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

_

* * *

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**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" So Chumley won then?"

" His father surrendered. Then they went off to have a talk." A pause. Fiddling with a pencil. " Chumley asked us not to ask him what it was about, so Syrus and I have no idea what happened after the duel."

" Your grammar is improving." Rustling paper.

" I hang out with you and Bastian, don't I?"

" Nervous about your tag team duel later?"

" Me? No. Syrus? I can't be sure. He seems to have gotten his confidence back, but…"

" He needs to confront Zane."

" Huh?"

" He needs to confront the object of his torment and fear. If he can do that, he can move passed it." A pause. A pen on paper. " This is a fragment."

" Is it? I didn't notice."

" That's why I volunteered to do this."

" You don't even know what a trap card is."

" But I _do_ know how to write a good essay. Years of watching Mama write them have helped."

" Thanks again, by the way, Koneko-chan."

" I though we agreed that you were going to stop calling me that."

" We only agreed that I was going to stop calling you that in _public_. When it's just you and me, I can call you that."

" I'm changing the deal." A flick of a pen.

" I'm not letting you."

" Oh?" Scribbling. " And how do you plan to accomplish that?"

" If I can't call you Koneko-chan, then I get to ask about your family."

A freeze. Clenched fists.

" Alright, fine." Lia acquiesced. Jaden's face lit up. " You can call me that ridiculous name when it's just the two of us."

And his face fell back down.

" That's playing dirty, Koneko-chan."

" So is playing the family card." Lia scratched out another word on his Traps Essay, and wrote a more appropriate word above it with her red pen. " At least when it comes to me."

" Am I _ever_ gonna find out about your family?" Jaden asked as he stared up at the sky. The breeze coming off the ocean blew his bangs around and he breathed in the salt-tinged air. The clouds hung white and fluffy in the blue mid day sky. The roof that he sat was bare except for himself and his companion, who was leaning against a pillar, bent over the stapled papers that was his essay, running her red pen over words and quotes, crossing entire phrases out and replacing them, circling words and adding punctuation.

" Will it be recognizable as mine by the time you're done, Koneko-chan?"

Lia looked up, but instead of the scowling he was expecting, she had a thoughtful expression on her face.

" Well, I've been sure to leave as much of 'you' in here as possible, but I _have_ changed quite a bit to improve it." She twirled the red pen around her fingers. " You shouldn't get into trouble. You might even get extra points for going out of your way to get it proof-read."

" Cool." Jaden balanced his own pen on his nose, staring up at the sky.

" Shouldn't you be prepping with Sy?" She asked without looking up. She missed the boy's fond smile.

" What, and make you look over _my_ essay all by yourself?" He laughed. " I thought you could use some company. You _are_ doing me a big favour after all. I feel like I should pay you back somehow."

" If you wanna pay me back," Lia glanced up at him, " then go find Sy and give each other a pep talk so you can kick some ass at your card game."

He just looked at her, cocking his head to the side quizzically.

" You can pay me back by winning and staying here and not letting all my hard work," she waved the essay around, " go to waste."

Jaden grinned at her.

" Will do, Koneko-chan."

" You're lucky you're cute."

Jaden was laughing all the way down the stairs. Lia watched him go, his essay still clutched in her hand and a red marking pen in the other. The wind tossed her brown curls (out of her customary ponytail; the wind had messed it up too much) into her face and over her head. With a sigh, she shifted to a more protected side of the pillar, and set to continue marking. She had just gotten through another paragraph when laughter startled her out of her marking revere.

Glancing around the large piece of rock she was leaning against, she cast an eye out to the green grass below, where several people were gathered around two duel disk wearing Ra's. There was a shimmer in the air and then some kind of creature (Lia could never name the things to save her life, because all the monsters looked the same to her) appeared before him.

" Duelists." She shook her head, but there was a measure of affection in her tone that hadn't been there when she first arrived on Academy Island. She smiled to herself as she pulled the essay paper closer.

" So since you can't duel, you decide to spy on other people's duels and pick up tips?"

And her good mood vanished like a candle in the wind.

Standing, his arms crossed, in the doorway that led to the stairs off the roof, was Chazz Princeton.

**_**

Bastian looked up from his conversation with Alexis as Lia came storming into the arena, messenger bag thrown over shoulder and a dark look in her hazel eyes.

" She appears to be in a bad mood." He observed pleasantly to Alexis as the brunette looked around for them. Alexis raised her hand and waved the other girl over, her expression slightly fearful as Lia stomped (not walked, not darted) over to the two friends.

" Hey Lia." Alexis moved her bag from the seat she'd been reserving. " How's your day been?"

That, apparently, was all the persuasion Lia needed.

" Chazz called me a French slut to my face." She snapped. " And I punched him in the nose. It was still bleeding when I left."

There was a dead silence.

" He called you _what_?!" Alexis snarled, her pretty face contorted with rage.

" A slut." Lia ground out. " Apparently, he wasn't too happy about our little 'Question and Answer' session last week. And he decided to let me know."

" But that was _my_ idea!" Alexis growled. " Why would he blame _you_?!"

" Oh, that's the best part!" Lia said with a cold laugh. Alexis noticed the shaky breath she took in. " Apparently, he's – oh, you're going to absolutely _love_ this- he's come to the conclusion that the reason you've turned on him is because of me."

" I beg your pardon?" Bastian asked.

" Yeah, that was my reaction too!" Lia nodded as she looked at him and Alexis noticed (with some apprehension) that the brunette was trembling quite badly. " I couldn't understand how he could _possibly_ justify that sort of thing, but he just kept going on and on and _on_ about how Lexi had 'ruled the school' before I came along and 'corrupted' her by turning her into a Slacker Sympathizer, and how it was all _my_ fault that her rep is going downhill and everything, and how if I had _any_ decency I'd walk away from Lexi and let her get back to where she belongs."

Lia was shaking badly, but Alexis was already seeing red.

" And let me guess where that is." She hissed in a dangerously low voice. " With him."

" He said with the Obelisk Blues, but I think he was implying himself." Lia shuddered. " And of course I…I got mad, because he was falsely accusing me of all these things, and making me feel like I was worthless, and he was saying all these horrible things about the Academics, and I just couldn't sit there and _take_ it, right?"

" Of course not." Bastian encouraged her.

" So I started talking back. Calling him insecure, telling him he needed to pick on me to make himself feel better." She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, her trembling visible. " I taunted him, told him that he should stop playing the snobby rich boy card, because anyone with eyes could see that he was nothing more than a sniveling coward who hid behind his money and his family name. He got mad when I said that. And then…then I said…this wasn't very smart of me, but I was just so _mad_…so I said, ' Jaden beat you, and you can't stand it, can you? You can't stand the fact that you got beat by somebody who is _supposedly_ beneath you, because now everyone can see how pathetic and useless you really are!' And then…then he…then he just looked at me for a few seconds…just stared at me with this…_glazed_…expression, and…then…"

Lia brought her knees up to her chest and dug her fingers into the fabric of her yellow jacket.

" Then he just sorta…_snapped_." She looked at them both.

" Snapped…how exactly?" Bastian ventured.

" He just…he started yelling all kinds of things…horrible, mean things…calling me a useless waste of space…telling me my parents shipped me here to get rid of me…telling me that I was lower than the lowest Academic because at least most of them had friends…telling me…" She paused, and a traitorous tear escaped her eyes, " …telling me I was ugly and chestless and had no chance of a guy _ever_ looking at me, because what kind of freak would lower himself to be seen with someone…someone like _me_…"

She was biting her lower lip and striving heroically to conceal the few tears that were leaking out of her eyes, but Alexis, with the swiftness of female intuition, had Lia in a sideways hug and was holding her close.

" He…he said…that he could see right though me…that the only reason I was hanging with you was so that you could get guys to like me…and he said I was hanging out with Jaden and Syrus and Chumley to make myself look better by comparison…and that I was probably going to…going to…_lose it_ to the first guy who offered…because it wasn't like I was going to get a second chance…" Lia was wriggling slightly, as if trying to disentangle herself from the blonde's grip. Alexis only held tighter, keeping the girl firmly in place. " And then he called me…a French Slut…and I just saw red, and I punched him in the face…and his nose broke…I heard it crack…and then I just grabbed my bag and ran down here…"

She reached up and frantically began to wipe the tears away.

" I'm so stupid…" Her let out a teary laugh. " I don't even know why I'm taking this so hard…I just can't stop…stop crying…I'm sorry."

" Chazz said some very cruel things, and they obviously hurt you." Bastian reasoned, reaching over to rub her shoulder. Lia started, but didn't jump away. " You don't have to put up a strong front here, Lia, we know you're only human."

" Yeah, you need to cry, you cry." Alexis tightened her grip. " You can all you want to."

" Thanks." Lia sniffed. " But right now, crying isn't going to help either Jaden or Syrus." She took several deep breaths, controlling her breathing until she was no longer hiccupping or shaking. She reached up with hands that still shook slightly, and wiped the tears from her eyes. " But right now, I can't afford to be selfish." She pulled her hands back, and though her eyes were red, they were dry. " Syrus and Jaden need me to be supportive."

" That's very grown-up of you." Bastian smiled at her, turning to look down into the arena as Jaden and Syrus walked in. He unconsciously gave the shoulder he had his hand on a comforting squeeze but, with his eyes fixed on his two Slifer friends, he missed the small blush on Lia's cheeks. She hid it by leaning into Alexis' hug. Then she realized what she was doing, and pulled back.

" Thanks." She murmured into the bare shoulder. Alexis grinned.

" What are friends for?"

" It's starting." Bastian whispered as the two girls pulled apart (Lia with a grateful look), looking as Crowler took the stage to announce the opponents he'd hired.

" Ugh." Lia wrinkled her nose. " I hate that guy."

" At least _you_ don't have to have _class_ with him." Alexis said as she glared at the blond man from her seat. " He refuses to teach Academic classes."

" Yes, so you're basically free from him so long as you don't run into him in the hallway." Bastian agreed. " You should count yourself lucky."

"…allow me to introduce our guest tag-team duelists!"

" If he uses that screechy voice in class, I think I will count myself lucky." Lia muttered, putting her hands over her ears.

" Yup, that's his 'indoor voice'." Alexis said through gritted teeth.

" What's his outdoor one sound like?"

But Lia never got her answer, because as soon at the words had left her mouth, a dark, blurry shape launched itself into the air from somewhere behind her, landed perfectly balanced upside down on its hands on the back of her chair, and then flipped into the air once more. The shape landed upright on the back of another chair, and continued the pattern until it had reached the centre of the duel arena, directly in front of Jaden and Syrus' stunned faces.

Lia put a hand over her racing heart and swore violently in her native language, before glaring down at the two oddly dressed men that stood across from her friends. They looked vaguely Chinese, if their outfits (high collared, sleeveless…shirts, she supposed, that hung low in the front and the back, thrown over black pants and a long sleeved black shirt) were anything to go by. They were both completely bald, each with an insignia in the middle of their foreheads, with sharply angled eyes that were gleaming with no friendly light at the two boys.

" Salutations, you fools." The one in orange greeted. Lia blinked and noticed that their…shirts were lined with white, and their cuffs were the same shade as their shirts (she honesty didn't know what they were called, never being one to follow clothing styles).

" Hope you're ready to duel." The one in green added in a much deeper voice, and Lia felt her jaw dropped.

" Tell me you're joking." She muttered, slack-jawed. " Tell me they aren't going to spend the entire thing-"

" Rhyming?" Alexis cut in. " Sorry, but there's no joke. They'll be doing that sort of thing for the rest of the duel."

" Why?" Lia asked, and Bastian found the look of horror on her face to be quite amusing.

" Meet the Paradox brothers." Alexis waved her hand at them. " They're dueling mercenaries, so I guess that's why Crowler hired them. Not to mention," she looked worried, " they're supposed to be…"

" Be what?" Bastian pressed.

" The best tag duelists in the world."

Both Ra students sucked in a nervous breath.

" So you're telling me that I'm going to be worried about Jaden and Syrus in addition to being annoyed beyond belief?" Lia asked.

" Why are you going to be annoyed?" The other girl inquired. Lia grit her teeth.

" Because they sound like they just walked out of a Dr. Seuss book!"

" Don't let their rhyming fool you." Alexis warned ominously. " They're good. Really good."

" I don't understand the first thing about this game." Lia threw her hands up in exasperation. " I don't know good from a hole in the ground!"

"Don't worry." Bastian laughed. " We'll play commentator and explain everything."

" Then explain what Crowler just said in _English_." Lia grumbled.

" He said that they two teams could use what is on their partner's field." Lia blinked and looked blank. " Say Syrus wants to summon a monster that requires a sacrifice."

" Why do things in this game always need a sacrifice?"

" That's a whole other lecture. Anyway, Syrus needs a sacrifice, but doesn't have any monsters on his field. And let's say, for argument's sake, that Jaden has…Avion and Burstinatrix on his side."

Lia blinked at Bastian again.

" Jaden's got what now?"

" You know that green guy with the wings Jaden uses a lot in his duels?" Alexis interrupted. Lia nodded. " That's Avion. And that pretty girl monster in red?"

" With the dark hair? In the red body suit?" Alexis nodded at her questions. " Yeah, I know those two."

" Their names are Avion and Burstinatrix."

" Anyway, let's say Jaden has those two on his field." Bastian continued. "Syrus can use one of them as a sacrifice so he can summon his monster."

" Shouldn't he ask Jaden before hand?" Lia seemed puzzled. Alexis shook her head.

" Crowler said that they couldn't share strategy, advice, or cards not yet in play. Therefore, they can't really communicate."

" How can they play as a team if they can't communicate?"

" That's the beauty of a tag duel." Bastian said as he looked out at the two teams. " In order to be successful in one, you and your partner have to be perfectly in sync, and be able to read or, accurately guess the other's moves so that you two can play as one duelist." He shook his head. " Most people spend _years_ working themselves up to that level, but Jaden and Syrus have no more time. They'll have to figure it out as they go along."

"This isn't fair." Lia snarled. " Not only are they facing opponents that have to at least be _twice_ their age, but from the looks of it, they're twins!" She looked at Bastian. " Those two must be more in sync than most normal people! Not mention Alexis said they're the best at this in the world!" She glared down into the arena.

" It isn't fair."

" And that's just how Crowler likes it." Alexis scowled. " He purposely hired duelist who were experts in this field with a long history of wins, and a reputation for being almost psychic when it comes to reading each other's moves."

Bastian scowled as the wind (that really shouldn't be indoors) picked up.

" This is bad." He gritted his teeth. " The brothers just managed to jointly summon a level seven monster."

" Level…huh?"

" Ask me when there's a lull." Alexis ordered as she leaned forward to look at the duel. Beside her, Lia ran a hand through her messy hair.

" I am so lost."

" He sacrificed his brother's monster to summon a better one for the team." Bastian murmured. " Now that's tag dueling."

Lia kicked him in the leg.

" Ow!" He rubbed the abused appendage. " That's going to leave a bruise."

" Serves you right." Alexis glared. " Would you mind not sounding so impressed with Jaden and Syrus' _opponents_? You know, the ones they have to beat so they can avoid getting _expelled_?"

" Right now, their odds are sitting at about fifty to one." Bastian said, ignoring the dark aura coming off of the girls. " And that's in their opponents favour."

He expected a punch or a glare from the brunette next to him, but Lia was too busy staring down at the duel to pay attention to him.

" One of those guys…has nothing in front of him." She said slowly. " He's got no monster to…oh, what is it called?"

" What?"

" That thing that you guys do when the person's got nothing in front of them, and you make whatever you've got in front of you bash them in the face, or whatever?"

Bastian and Alexis exchanged a look over Lia's head.

" What?" She asked. Both students smiled.

" Just never realized how something looked from a non-duelist perspective." Alexis explained. " It's called a direct attack."

" Yeah, one of those." She pointed to the brother in orange. " What's-his-name-"

" Para." Bastian provided.

" Yeah, Para has got nothing in front of him, and nothing to block from a direct attack, right?"

" Right." Bastian agreed. " His brother sacrificed his monster to summon that Kaze Jin."

" The big green thing." Alexis said before Lia could ask.

"My point is," Lia said, looking nervously at the field, " if he's wide open for an attack, why are they both so calm?"

Both Alexis and Bastian started, whipping around to look at the calm, relaxed faces of the Paradox Brothers, who looked unconcerned that one of them had no buffer between him and a direct attack at his life points.

" This is bad." Alexis hissed.

" They must have a plan." Bastian agreed.

" Could they…" Lia tried. " Are they…could they be…_baiting_ Syrus and Jaden?"

" What, like trying to get them to attack?"

" You do it in other games." Lia insisted. " It's a risky move, but people do it, particularly people who are-"

" Confident that the risk will pay off?" Alexis finished, looking distinctly worried, as Syrus' eyes seemed to fix on Para.

" Yeah." Lia nodded. She blinked. " Did Syrus just order an attack?"

" Oh shit!" Alexis swore as she leaned on the edge of her seat. The train on Syrus' side gave an energetic hoot as it surged forward at the figure in orange. The man let a shocked and frightened look splay over his face before it melted away to reveal one of confidence.

" If you please Brother." He stated calmly.

The man in green nodded.

"It'd be my pleasure indeed, Brother."

" Oh Syrus, you idiot." Alexis murmured quietly as the green monster suddenly shifted in front of Para.

" Kaze Jin!" Dox yelled. " Defend with Squall Barricade."

" This won't end well, will it?" Lia murmured.

" No, it won't." Bastian told her. " Better brace yourself."

" For what?" But her voice was lost under the roar of the wind as it picked up. Syrus' monster hit the barrier of air that Dox's monster had let out, and went flying back to rest beside Syrus. Lia's hair was blown out of her face and breath was knocked out of her lungs as she was thrown back against her seat.

" Our monster's special ability. Do you like?" Dox taunted.

" It reduced your damage to zero, without even a fight!" His brother finished for him.

Up in the stands, Lia hauled herself forward.

" Diable?!" She snarled. " I thought these things were holograms."

" They are." Bastian assured her.

" Then how can they have _physical presence_?!"

" They're really _good_ holograms."

Lia looked at him with a deadpanned expression.

" That's bull, and you know it."

" Guys!" Alexis snarled. " I hate to interrupt, but Para and Dox just summoned two more monsters, and it isn't looking good for Jaden and Syrus!"

" Oh dear." Bastian looked at the field. " I'd place their odds now at five hundred to one."

" Hey Bastian." Alexis asked sweetly. " What are the odds of you shutting up?"

" Lexi?" Lia asked, and her voice was shaky. " Explain something to me."

" What?" Alexis turned to her. The sight of Lia's very white face and wide, frightened eyes made her heart leap into her throat. Lia raised a shuddering finger and pointed to the field.

" What the hell is that thing?"

Alexis (as slowly as she possibly could) shifted her body to look at the duel. The heart that had become lodged in her throat stopped beating as Para and Dox's side of the field was light up with several bright, blazing lights. The three hulking forms of their monsters clashed together as the light intensified, and Lia, unused to such displays, threw and arm up to shield her burning eyes. But Alexis stared on in horror as the three bodies fitted together and merged into one being, stand tall and menacingly in front of the smirking Paradox Brothers.

" Gate Guardian!" Para shouted in a delighted voice that carried around the entire stadium.

From her seat, Lia lowered her arm, and looked at the tri coloured beast.

" Lexi?" She prodded.

" Trouble." Alexis said, never taking her eyes off of the monster.

" That thing is trouble with a capital 'T'."

* * *

Hello again, everyone! I'm keeping my word! Here's Chapter 15, as promised! Things are starting to pick up a little speed, and I finally get to have my Lia/Chazz confrontation! Swing by tomorrow to get the full thing. Now, how about some translations?

Koneko-chan - Lia is unaware of what Jaden's calling her. She just doesn't like cute nicknames.

The family card - Notice that Jaden jumps right into this, with only one night passing since Lia first mentione dher family. He does it without fear of consequences. This sia tribute to how close Lia and Jaden have started to become. There's an instictive trust between them. Pay close attention to it.

" You're lucky you're cute." - This can be taken anyway you want it, as playful banter between friends, or an attempt at flirting. We'll see where it leads later on.

What happened on the roof - Will be revealed in tomoorw's chapter. Just let me say that is my way of showing that the current Chazz and Lia bring out the absolute _worst_ in each other.

Lia crying - After you find out what happened, you won't blame her. In fact, I wouldn't blame her now.

Bastian and Alexis having to explain everything to Lia - It makes her seem really cute, doesn't it? All lost and confused.

Well, I think that's it. I'll see you all tomorrow!

MoS

Alexis: Hey everyone! Welcome to the next installement of **Plot Points**! Today, we're gonna focus a bit on the man of the hour, Chazz Princeton! Wait, what?! Why are we doing a piece on that prick? He made Lia cry!

Jaden: He _what_?!

Alexis: You didn't know?

Jaden: I was down in the arena the whole time! I didn't see you guys until afterwards! Koneko-chan was crying?

Alexis: Who?

Jaden: Lia. That's my nickname for her. She was crying?

Alexis: Yeah, a bit. But don't worry, folks, he'll get his, soon enbough. MoS has this thing for dealing out proper punishments.

Jaden: And you have to remember, her O.C.'s are very precious to her. She'll kick the ass of anyone who bad-mouths them.

Alexis: Exceot the audience. They can critizise Lia all they want, so long as it's constructive.

Jaden: So, wait, what _are_ we talking about today?

Alexis: I guess...ah...we could talk about Syrus.

Jaden: No, we saved Syrus for later, right?

Alexis: Oh, yeah. i guess we could do Bastian.

Jaden: Weren't we saving him for when he and I duel?

Alexis: Fine, Jay, who do _you_ want to talk about?

Jaden: Well, actuall,y I was sorta looking forward to Chazz. I mean, what with the way he is now, and how that's gonna change...

Alexis: Alright, fine, we can reveal some Chazz-related secrets. For example, Chazz might be sticking around longer than you think.

Jaden: And in Year Two, when he's all brain-washed, some of the darker aspects of his personality will come back. He'll be more than just a bumbling jerk when MoS finishes with him.

Alexis: Speaking of the Society of Light, MoS has some plans for that group. Expect a little more of a cult atmosphere.

Jaden: With creepy, candlelit ceremonies and all.

Alexis: And a look into the minds of the brainwashed.

Jaden: Chazz'll be a mess.

Alexis: Tune into the next **Plot Points** for a look at our own reluctant hero, Syrus Truesdale!

Jaden: He's not so much of a reluctant hero, if you think about it.

Alexis: (starts to walk off) I know, I just needed something to say there. (Jaden follows her, still talking)

Jaden: Yeah, but it really doesn't suit him...

(Both fade into the distance)


	16. The Confrontation

Warnings: I finally get to excercise the mouth I just _know_ Chazz has! You have been warned. Some mentions of the older Princeton brothers, and what they may, or may not put their little brother through.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Chazz pressed the cloth Ms. Fontaine had given him to his still bleeding nose, and tried to staunch the flow.

" You're lucky." The pretty nurse said. " It isn't broken. That crack you heard was probably just your imagination."

From behind the cloth, Chazz nodded.

" You should be just fine as soon as the darn thing stops bleeding." She paused in her cheerful analysis, and gave him an incredulous look. " But really, Chazz, running into a wall at top speed? You need to be more careful, or you're going to seriously hurt yourself one day. What with that bruise on your face from walking into that door, and all those ones you get over the summer from your stairs, it's a miracle you've made it this far!" She laughed her little, tinkling laugh. " You just keep that thing pressed to your nose until it stops, and then you can get out of here and go and watch the duel that's going on this afternoon. I have to check on some supplies in the back, so you just sit tight and try to stop the blood, okay Chazz?"

He nodded, and wandered out the door, leaving him with a cloth on his face, and wondering why he had covered for the French bitch.

The second he'd seen her sitting there on the roof, paper and pen in hand, and fond little smile as she watch some Ra hacks duel on her face, Chazz had decided then and there that he hated her.

' _How dare she_.' He thought as he pressed the cloth closer, despite the protests of his still sore nose. ' _How dare she be so happy and carefree and…and…__**calm**__ after everything she's done! After she took Alexis away from me!_'

His stomach turned over as he remembered Alexis coiling her arm through that Academic Freak's and dragging her off, chatting and talking like they'd been best friends for years. The way the bitch had sat next to the unconscious Alexis, pretending to protect her but really just trying to score points with her so she could use Alexis to help her dismal social status. It made Chazz sick to think of the way the Academic Bitch was getting away with manipulating sweet, innocent Alexis. It actually made his insides squirm when he thought of how happy Alexis looked when she was hanging out with the brunette, when the talked, when they exchanged those glances over his head as they interrogated him about his involvement at the abandoned dorm.

He felt cold as the realization that Alexis actually _enjoyed_ spending time with the Academic struck home.

And he felt white hot with rage as he concluded that the _only_ reason that the Academic (he refused to call her by her name) was hanging out with Alexis was to boost her own (non-existent) social standing. Why else would the girl be so insistent in making friends? In talking with other people? In sitting next to Alexis under a tree, just watching the clouds pass by overhead, not talking, but enjoying each other's company in a comfortable silence?

(Chazz also refused to believe, for even an instant, that she wasn't being sneaky. He refused to believe that she was sincere in her actions. He refused to believe that she was just lonely, that she just wanted some friends, that she just got along better with Alexis than he did.)

" So Alexis has never been too friendly with me." He muttered to himself. " She never…she didn't…"

" _I __**hate**__ you!"_

He ripped the cloth away from his (finally) clean nose and banged his fist on the metal table by the bed he sat on.

" She would never have said that to me if that _bitch_ hadn't corrupted her!" He grabbed the vase of flowers on the table and hurled them at the opposite wall. " She was _fine_ with me before that _freak_ started talking to her! And who the _hell_ does she think she is, anyway?!" The vase shattered spectacularly. " She's an _Academic_! She can even hold a duel disk _right_! What the _hell_ made her think she could even _talk _to someone like Alexis?!" he stared skyward. " Well, answer me! Who does that little bitch think she is?!

" It was all going _just fine_ until she started hanging out with Jaden and getting friendly with Alexis! At least the Slacker knows when to back off someone else's territory, but that bitch just doesn't quit!" He looked down at the floor, his gray eyes sparking.

" She should just have stayed away from Alexis and stuck with the Slacker Club."

" _You don't know anything about me! Don't you talk to me like that!"_

" She's just some stupid Academic who messed with the wrong Obelisk."

" _Shut up, shut up, shut __**up**__! How __**dare**__ you bring that up?! You…You…You insensitive asshole!"_

" I'll show her pathetic…" But his voice was duller than it had been, and he was staring at a spot in the floor as if it could unravel all the mysteries of the universe for him.

" _Any particular reason you're here, Chazz," Lia asked as she gathered the papers in her hands into a stack, " or did you just come to enjoy the view?"_

" _I didn't tell anyone it was you who punched me in the face." He said without preamble. Lia looked at him inquisitively. " Everyone thinks I just ran into a door or something."_

" _They bought that?" Her tone was deadpanned._

"_They buy a lot of stupid cover stories at this place." Chazz hissed, but it was more to himself than to anyone else._

" _Why didn't you rat me out?" Lia lowered the papers into the messenger bag that was lying on its side by her feet. " Don't you usually love to get me in trouble?"_

" _Listen, Wicked Bitch, when I take you down, it'll be just you and me and on my own terms." His voice was cold, but Lia had heard colder, apparently, because she simply shrugged it off. " I'm not bringing teachers into it because I don't need them to make your life miserable."_

" _Yes, you scowling at me down the hall is making it hard for me to sleep at night." Lia drawled, tucking her pen behind her ear. She had just secured it when she was roughly jostled on her right side and hauled up from her crouch to look directly into Chazz's livid eyes._

_The pen clattered to the roof._

" _Take me seriously, damnnit!" He shouted, shaking her with the grip on her forearm. Lia forced any trembling down and met his sparking gaze with a steely one of her own._

" _I just got rid of the bruises on my neck. I don't need another set." She flicked her arm. " Get your hands off of me."_

" _You don't scare me." Chazz hissed, and he was suddenly too close, looming over her like a shadow. " You act all tough and cool and strong, but at the end of the day, you're just a scared little girl with no friends, who's using Alexis to try and make herself more popular."_

" _What?" Lia asked, confusion swirling over her face._

" _That's right, I can see __**right**__ through you!" Chazz crowed. " I know what you're doing, and you know what? I'm not gonna let you manipulate Alexis like that! You stay away from her!"_

" _Chazz, what the hell have you been smoking?!" Lia ripped her arm out of his grasp. " I don't know what you're talking about, but whatever it is that's gotten into you, you had better stop taking it out on me!"_

" _Or else what?" He took a step forward, but the girl stood her ground._

" _Or else I scream." Lia's eyes narrowed. " How's it gonna look to anybody down there?" She gestured to the people on the ground level below. _

_Chazz seemed to pause and think about what she was saying. Lia huffed and bent down, not taking her eyes off him, to pick up her bag. She slid it over her head and let the strap rest on her shoulder and against her chest in a comfortable fashion. With once last sigh, she started past Chazz and headed for the door to the stairs._

_Chazz's arm shot out and grabbed her as she walked past. She was thrown back against the pillar she had just been leaning against, the bag slipping off her shoulder and sliding down her body to rest at her feet. Chazz pinned her against the rock with a hand pressing bruisingly against each shoulder, staring directly into her eyes._

" _You won't scream." He said confidently. Lia's eyes narrowed._

" _And why not?"_

" _Because you owe me this confrontation. Because you and I have something to discuss." He eyed her neck. " And if you scream, I'll tell Crowler about you being at the abandoned dorm as well."_

" _You've got no proof."_

" _I don't need it." _

_The effectively shut her up._

" _Now listen up, you stupid little bitch, and listen up good, because I do __**not**__ want to have to repeat myself, especially not to a nobody commoner like you." She bristled, but held her tongue. _

" _Stay away from Alexis."_

" _Excuse me?" She was incredulous, her eyes wide and the beginnings of fury showing on her face. He ignored her and plowed forward._

" _Stay away from Alexis. Don' talk to her. Don't wave at her. Don't sit with her. Just stay away from her and everybody will be happy."_

" _She's my friend, and if I want to talk to her, I will." Lia hissed, her entire face dark. Chazz gave a sudden yank and pushed her back against the pillar, his fingers digging into her arms through her jacket and sweater._

" _I said. Stay. Away." He emphasized. But Lia's pride won out over her fear._

" _Or what?" She challenged. " You'll do to me what you tried to do to Jaden in the abandoned dorm?"_

" _So it __**was**__ you." He murmured. His grip tightened, and Lia found herself unable to keep from wincing. "I guess I should thank you for stopping me." Chazz smirked, but it made Lia shudder. " It's so much easier to just watch him get expelled in a duel than have to cover up something like that."_

" _You're heartless."_

" _And don't you forget it, sweetheart."_

_He was in considerable pain the next instant, as Lia's foot connected with his knee. He let out a stifled howl, but only loosened his grip with one of his hands. The other tightened, and she swore she could actually feel the bruises forming._

" _Look __**bitch**__," he spat the word like it was a disease, " Alexis was the Queen Obelisk Blue, the best of the best, __**my**__ perfect girl, and then __**you**__ just come waltzing with the Slacker Club, and suddenly, Alexis thinks that __**you **__**guys**__ are more important than anything! Suddenly, she's going out of her way to protect you and the Slacker Club! She's different now, and it's ruining her rep and it all started when she became friends with __**you**__!"_

_He was panting, his face flushed in fury, and looking at her as if she'd crawled out of a hole. But Lia was staring at him, taking in his misplaced anger and his desperate attempts at blame, and before she could stop herself, she was analyzing him._

" _You just can't accept that she rejected you, can you?" The brunette said, and though her voice was light, her tone was a razor's edge. " You can't get past the fact that she doesn't want you, so you shoving the blame on someone else for 'changing' her." Lia closed her eyes. "You're pathetic."_

" _You don't know __**anything**__!" Chazz roared, but Lia didn't show any fear. " I'm not 'shoving' the blame anywhere, because it __**is**__ your fault! You __**changed **__her! You and the Slacker Club!"_

" _You can't even own up to your own short comings." Lia sneered._

"_You took her away from where she belonged!"_

" _And where's that?"_

" _With the Blues!"_

" _Alexis can make her own decisions, why don't you try respecting that?" Lia opened her eyes. " Face it, she doesn't want you, and it boggles your mind because you've grown up being handed everything you ever wanted on a silver platter. You've never experienced not getting what you want, so when it finally happens, you can't deal with the shock, and you have to find someone weaker than yourself to make your scapegoat. That way, you can pin the blame on them instead of facing the fact that this time, you just weren't enough._

" _You've been playing the 'snobby rich boy' card your whole life, and it's never failed you before. But Alexis is person, not a toy you can order, so all your money isn't going to do shit." She poked her finger into his chest. " Face it Chazz. You've lost."_

" _You stupid little whore, who do you think you're talking –"_

" _You wanna know something else?" Lia felt something cruel rise up in her throat and let it come surging out. " I can see right through __**you**__! Behind all your bravado and chest puffing and throwing money around, you're really just a scared little boy with no real friends, who's trying to push me around to make himself feel better. You're insecure and you're a coward, and when it comes down to it, when you have to prove your worth, you hide behind your money and your family name, because without those things, you're worthless!"_

" _At least __**my**__ family actually __**wants**__ me!" Chazz spat at her. " At least my __**father**__ didn't walk out on me!"_

_Smack._

_He reeled back as Lia's hand struck him on his cheek. His grip loosened and Lia shoved him off, red faced and tears of rage pouring down her cheeks. _

" _You don't know anything about me! Don't you talk to me like that!"_

" _Hit a nerve, did I?" He taunted. " What's the matter? Can't own up to your own __**short-comings**__? Can't accept that you weren't __**enough**__?"_

" _Shut up, shut up, shut __**up**__! How __**dare**__ you bring that up?! You…You…You insensitive asshole!"_

" _Insensitive asshole?" He laughed cruelly. " That's it? That's the best the Wicked Bitch of Ra Yellow can throw at me? And you think __**I'm**__ pathetic?"_

" _Jaden beat you!" She shrieked through a haze of red and tears. Chazz froze. " Jaden beat you, and you can't stand it, can you? You can't stand the fact that you got beat by somebody who is __**supposedly**__ beneath you, because now everyone can see how pathetic and useless you really are!"_

_Chazz stopped, reaching up to cup the cheek she'd previously slapped. His eyes glazed over and he stared at her unseeingly. Lia stared back, panting, unsure, but unwilling to back down. Chazz ran his fingers almost hypnotically over the angry, red skin. Lia shifted slightly, trying to edge past him, and something in Chazz gave with an almost audible snap._

" _He didn't beat me." The Obelisk boy whispered._

" _What?" She asked before she could stop herself. The next thing she knew, she had been thrown to the ground, her feet entangled with the strap of her messenger bag. She was sprawled on her side, Chazz looming over her once again, but it was different this time. His face was twisted and contorted, his eyes almost glowing and his entire body taunt. When he spoke, it was in the desperate, broken voice Lia had heard that night in the abandoned dorm._

" _He __**didn't**__ beat me!" Chazz shouted. " He got __**lucky,**__ that's __**all**__! He got a lucky shot in, and that shouldn't have counted, but for some fucking reason it __**did**__! So he didn't beat me, and I'm not __**beneath**__ him! I'll __**never**__ be beneath __**anyone**__! Especially not some fucking __**Slifer**__ who got a lucky shot in! So you can just shut your goddamn mouth, you stupid whore! You can go fuck yourself, do you hear me, 'cause that's as close to sex as you'll __**ever**__ get!"_

" _Chazz, you're –" But he wasn't in a listening mood._

" _I said shut your fucking mouth!" He almost screamed. " You just sit there, soaking up all the attention being around Alexis gets you, and act like you're so __**cool**__, being sarcastic and alone! You act like you're her friend, like you give a __**damn**__ about whether she lives or __**dies**__, when you'd dump her in a minute to save your own skin! You're the coward, not me! You're the one who's pathetic, hoping Alexis will rub off on you, and guys will actually __**look**__ at you!" Lia went very stiff, her entire face filling with anger. " You think I don't see that? You think I don't __**know**__?! You're an ugly, chestless whore, and there's no way in __**Hell**__ any guy is ever going to condescend to date someone as hideous and plain and pathetic as __**you**__! You hang out with the Slacker Club because __**they**__ actually manage to make __**you**__ look good! And believe me, that's a miracle! You'll probably let the first guy who offers fuck you senseless, because you'll be too scared that you'll never get another shot at it!" _

_He looked down at her shaking, white face._

" _You French Slut."_

_Crack._

_Her fist connected with his nose with stunning force. Chazz went sprawling to the ground, and Lia scooped her bag up, darting past his form and down the stairs, leaving him on the roof, bleeding._

' _I'll admit_,' Chazz thought to himself as he played the scene over in his head, ' _that the 'losing it to the first guy who offers' thing may have been a bit too much, but she had the rest coming!_'

Ignoring the cold feeling in his stomach, the boy made his way out of the nurse's office and down the hall to the arena, praying that he was still in time to see Jaden and Syrus get their asses beat.

**_**

" Should I go ahead and assume that that's bad?" Lia asked as she looked at the large shadow that the massive, armoured creature cast over Para and Dox. Covered in black metal and thick muscles, the thing towered over the duelists on the field, held up six sharp metal legs attached to a dark body with red eyes glowing at the forefront. Lia shuddered as the thing threw its head back and let out a long, eerie roar that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

" Bad? _Bad_?!" Bastian appeared to have finally lost his cool. " This is more than _bad_, this is catastrophic! This is horrifying! This is the end! This is-"

" The time for you to shut it!" Alexis snapped severely. Bastian looked at her with annoyance, but she pointed her chin at Lia, who had her hands clasped together as if in prayer, her face as white as paper and her eyes fixed on the two figures in red.

"Lia…" Alexis tried. " Don't worry. Those boys can pull off anything. They'll be just fine, no matter what those two freaks throw at them!"

" Yeah." Lia nodded distantly, but a small cry escaped her lips as Para ordered his attack.

" They'll be alright." Alexis assured her. " Just keep repeating that; they'll be alright. They'll be alright."

" Ils seront très bien." Lia murmured quietly. " Ils seront très bien."

" You're taking this pretty hard." Alexis observed as Jaden managed to stop the attack from doing any damage. " I've never seen you so tense."

" I've never been so helpless." Lia confessed, not looking up from the duel, where Syrus had collapsed to his knees. " I can't…I can't _do anything_ to help them and it's driving me insane."

" We're all in the same boat there." Bastian reasoned. " None of us can help them now."

" But at least you understand what's going on." Lia insisted. " At least you can tell where they stand. I…I don't even understand what's going on right now. I don't understand how Jaden saved them, or how that hideous _thing_ even got there." She waved her hand over the sight before them. " I've never felt so stupid in my life and I can't stand it!"

" That's like how I feel in French class." Alexis slid closer to the distressed girl, smiling. " I finally get the hang of one verb tense, and then the teach throws another at us, and everything I know goes out the window." Alexis shook her head. " It makes me feel stupid and I hate it. But I usually get someone who understands it better to explain it to me."

Lia smiled slightly.

" We sound like a fifty's sitcom. I'm waiting for you to say 'golly' or something."

" Keep waiting." There was a flash of light from the dueling field. " What just happened?"

"Jaden played Fusion Gate, and merged his Spark Man, Bubble Man, and Avion together." Bastian explained. " It was a good move, but I don't think it'll be enough to save them."

" Jaden's got something up his sleeve." Alexis said confidently. " You just wait and see."

" Show a little faith." Lia rebuked him. " Even _I_ know that, and I don't know the first thing about this game." She paused.

" By the way, what's a Fusion Gate?"

Both Bastian and Alexis sweat dropped.

" I explained the last one, it's your turn." Alexis said. Bastian sighed.

" You remember what we said about Polymerization, right?" Lia nodded. " Well, this card lets you merge the monsters together without needing that card."

" Oh, okay." A wind rustled her hair, and both turned to the source. " Who's that?" She pointed to the creature hovering in front of Jaden.

" Just listen." Bastian said with a fond smile in her direction. She seemed so much younger than him at his point, curious and unsure, her eyes wide and her voice puzzled. It was rather endearing.

" The Elemental Hero, Tempest!" Jaden announced proudly.

" Two thousand eight hundred attack points…" Alexis murmured. " It's good, but…"

" It's not enough." Bastian hung his head regretfully. " It can't beat their Dark Guardian."

" Jaden's still smiling." Lia said quietly. " That's got to mean _something_, right?"

" Yeah." Alexis smiled brightly. " It means Jaden's got a plan. Don't count our boys out just yet."

* * *

Hey there, everyone! i had a lot of homework last night, and I missed the deadline, so here are two chapters for you!

Translations:

Chazz's ramblings - Really, Chazz isn't, at least, at this point, the type to find fault with himself. He just _can't_ accept that Alexis doesn't want him, so he's decided to play teh Balme Game. but there's more to it than that. I've waited to post this chapter for a while now, because it serves a very important purpose: It shows just how cruel Lia can be. Up until now her words and banter have been tinged with playfulness, partly because most of it has been directed at Jaden, who manages to lighten everything up. But here we see Lia with someone who just rubs her the wrong way. Here we see her going out of her way to bring someone down. Here, we get to see her be _cruel_. Yes, Chazz was cruel to, but Lia could've, at any point, gotten up and walked away. But instead, she chose to push Chazz to the breaking point, calling out all his flaws, and making him feel weak and pathetic, something Chazz in the canon was never able to handle well. Remember his obssesion with beating Jaden? What that boiled down to was his need to be the best, to prove himself to his brothers, and when Jaden seemingly took that away from him (without ever meaning to hurt him at _all_), Chazz built Jaden up to be the enemy in his mind, and set himself the challenge of beating him. Well, in this storyline, there's more than one person to go after, and Lia is a more available target, because she is an Academic, and Chazz loses no status in dueling by attacking her. (And he's still got his Blue jacket to back him up, whereas Lia doesn't duel. And while the 'ranking system' is what majorly defines the school, the Academics are, as you will see, viewed by some to be even lower than the Slifer Reds.) Chazz didn't count on Lia fighting back, but she had no need to take it to the extreme she did. Lia is cruel, at least when provoked, and I wanted to show everyone this side of her so that you won't blindly love her. She is not a nice person. You're welcome to like her all you want, but in order to truly feel for her as a character and a person, you have to see her ugly side. This is it. This is Lia at practically her worst, and it isn't pleasant to watch. I'll be honest: It hurt me to write her like this. I love Lia's character, but writing this masked cruelty into her, although it is vital for her, is still upsetting. I know Lia's back-story. I know why she's like this. And it still wasn't much fun. I can only imagine what you must think of her right now. Speaking of back-story.

At least my father didn't walk out on me! - Now, we're getting a little into it. Lia, as you might have noticed, is very closed mouthed about her family. So how is it that Chazz knows about this piece of her history? Well, let's jsut say that Lia's not exactly unknown...if you travel in the right circles, that is.

They buy a lot of stupid cover stories at this place./all those ones you get over the summer from your stairs... - Because I am a firm believer that Slade and Jagger are even bigger bastards than what was alluded to in the series. I mean, in the dub, they lift Chazz up by the scruff of his neck and start screaming at him. There's very little I would put past them, the assholes. I intend to thwart them at every turn, don't you worry. That being said, I like working with Chazz. He's got this dim light in him, like he wants to do the right thing, and make friends, and be a little bit like Jaden, but he just can't find it within himself to let himself be. He's honestly quite tragic, and I will address taht more in Year Two when he's been brainwahsed by Sartorious (sp?).

Ils seront très bien - Everything will be alright.

I can't do anything. - Lia and helplessness don't get along.

I think that's everything. I'll see you later tonight for the next chapter!

MoS

Jaden: Hey there, everyone! Lex is running late tonight, so you're all stuck with me for the first bit. That being said, welcome to **Plot Points**! Tonight, we'll be taking a look at the romances MoS seems to have been throwing around casually. There's a whole lot, so sometimes it's hard to keep track...especially with all teh homework I keep getting in all my classes. And Lia checks it, so that means that I have to do it...and Lex is really much better at this stuff than me...But I can't let you guys down, so I'll give it a try.

Let's see-

Alexis: Jaden!

Jaden: Hey! Lexi! Just in time! I'm trying to do the romance segment, like you asked, but I have no idea what's really going on, so if you could give me a hand, that'd be-

Alexis: Professor Banner needs to see you. Sometimes about cat-sitting?

Jaden: Oh damn! I gotta go! (jumps up) You can do this without me, right Lex?

Alexis: Yeah, sure, get going.

Jaden: Thanks Lex. (Hugs her) I totally love oyu right now. Later! (runs off)

Alexis: (Blushing) ...None of you are going to say anything, got it? Let's just do the segment. Now, in casr you haven't noticed, MoS has been having a great deal of fun throwing romances and hints all around. There's the obvious Lia/Bastian dynamic, which is mainly from Lia's side. But we haven't see Bastian's side of things, now have we? For all we know, he might like our girl. And of course, there's the Lia/Jaden pairing that seems to be getting popular. I'll admit that they look cutre together, but do they really compliment each other enough? I mean, sure, Lia is prickly, and Jaden is a sweetheart, but don't you guys think Lia is a little too..._strong_ for Jaden? He needs someone more mellow, in my opinion. Who else has MoS been thinking about slapping Jaden with...lesee...Jaden and _Alexis_?! That little bitch! She promised that it was a secret! I'll kill her! I'll freakin' kill her! I don't even _like_ Jaden! I mena, I like him, but I don't _like_ him! He's a year younger than me! So what if he's cute? (Slpas hand on mouth) I mean...he's cute like a little brother...like a kid brother you wanna cuddle a lot-No, I didn't say that! It's not liek that! Jaden and I are just friends! And if any of you say otherwise, I'll sic my Etoile Cyber on your ass! (Breathes deeply) ...Okay...calm down Lex...Chill, remember what atty said about your temper..._breathe_...okay, let's take one more look at this li-Hey. (reads chapter) Anyone else feeling a little sexual tension between Lia and Chazz? I mean, sure Chazz is totally into me, but he's got this whole domination thing going with Lia in this chapter...hmmm...(blinks; seems to realize what she just said) Oh GOD! No, no , nonononono! I'll kill him if he touches her again! Augh, I can't _do_ this right now, I'm too pissed off! I need to go work this stress of in a duel! God! Stupid romance required to make a sotry interesting! I don't see why it can't be all plot and conflict, and no romance! It'd make my life a helluva lot easier! (walks off, still grumbling)

Syrus: (Sticks head into room after Alexis has left) Was that Alexis? (Sees folder labelled **Plot Points**)What's this?


	17. The Wound

Warnings: Lia angst. And a shocker at the end of the chapter. Stay tuned!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

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**Year One: The Academic**

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" They won."

She was very still.

" They won." Her heart was thundering in her ears. " They actually won."

" Was there ever any doubt?" Bastian asked teasingly as the holograms faded from view down on the field.

" They won." She whispered again. And then, as if the fact had finally had enough time to sink in, her let out a loud squeal, and threw her arms around the girl at her side.

" Whoa, whoa, Lexi!" Lia shouted, being hauled down into a tight hug. " Loosen your grip! Lexi? Lexi! I can't breathe! Lexi!" She turned pleading eyes on Bastian. " Help me! Get her off!"

" I'm sure you can handle it." He said with a chuckle. " After all, it's just a hug."

" But it's uncomfortable, and she's squeezing me." Lia whined through clenched teeth.

Bastian's chuckled turned to an all out laugh as Alexis gave her one last tight squeeze before letting her go.

" That was incredible, wasn't it?" She gushed. " The way they managed to turn it around! That was incredible. Wasn't that incredible?"

"Breathe, Lexi." Lia straightened her jacket; her sarcastic demeanor completely returned to her now that her friends were out of danger and the duel was over. " You're acting like a fangirl."

" But they…they won!" She made a sweeping gesture. " You can't tell me you're not thrilled."

Lia looked away from her, a dusting of pink on her cheeks, hiding her sheepish smile with the pesky piece of hair that always fell in her face.

" Well, maybe a little."

" Let's go and congratulate them." Bastian suggested. The girls jumped up, grinning and laughing quietly, and followed him down the aisle to the stairs. With a smile that was more enthusiastic than any other one she'd worn at Duel Academy, Lia darted ahead of Bastian and Alexis, shooting forward as Jaden whined about his assignment.

" Ten pages? I can barely manage a two page essay!" He moaned. " How am I supposed to fill _ten pages_?!"

" By using a lot of big words." Lia grinned at him as she walked down towards him. Jaden's face broke into a grin.

" Koneko-chan!" He shouted in delight. Lia reached out, and hit him on the back of the head.

" What did we agree on concerning the 'K' word?" She hissed.

" Not in public?" He asked, smiling cutely.

"Exactement." She whacked him again for good measure. " Now remember it."

" Whatever you say…" Lia took a deep breath and prayed he wasn't about to do what she was pretty sure he was about to do, " …Koneko-chan."

"Vous êtes impossible." Lia said in a suffering voice, but the slight smirk one her face told Jaden not to take her complaints seriously. " Let's get to work on that paper, shall we?"

" Ten whole pages!"

" I know, cheri, I know."

" How can anyone possibly write _ten pages_ single space?!."

" I'm going to introduce you to something I don't think you've heard of: The Eight Paragraph Essay."

" _Eight_ Paragraph?! I can barely do _five_ paragraphs!"

" I'll walk you through it. And we'll make Bastien help." She snagged his arm as they walked by. "If you wanna celebrate, that's fine, but Jaden has a paper to write, and that is his top priority right now." She called over her shoulder.

" I'll help too!" Alexis called after them, Syrus at her heels.

" Me too! I write great papers!"

" I'll make grilled cheese in case anybody goes hungry!"

" That won't do us any good, you'll just eat them all!"

" No I won't! In honour of you guys winning the match, and staying at Duel Academy, I'll let you have the first sandwich I make, Sy."

" Really, Chum?"

" You've earned it, overcoming your fear like that. It was _totally_ 'liscious."

" Very brave." Lia grinned at the smaller boy.

" You were amazing, Sy." Alexis gave him one of her bright, warm smiles. " Absolutely inspiring."

They were all so wrapped up in exchanging words of praise that the boy in blue looking at the victors of the duel with utmost hate and dislike was completely overlooked.

" Chancellor." Crowler began in his usual squawky voice. " Should we really be allowing Jaden all that help on his paper? I mean," and Crowler's lips curled into a sneer, " an Academic is one thing, but Bastian Misawa is one of the brightest, if not _the_ brightest, students in his year. With their help, won't the fact that the essay is meant to be a punishment be lost on that boy?"

" Oh, come now, Crowler." The portly man in red gave a soft chuckle. " What's the point of making friends in school if they don't help you out with your homework every now and then?"

" But Chancellor-!" The blond teacher started, but Sheppard held up a hand for silence.

" I don't want you to do anything to interfere with those kids, Crowler." He saw the confusion sparkling in those beady little eyes. " How long has it been, Crowler, since you last saw a Slifer, a Ra, and an Obelisk getting along so well?"

" Not nearly long enough." The other muttered darkly, but Sheppard ignored it, instead staring after the slowly disappearing forms of his students.

" It's been far too long." He said wistfully. " With all the emphasis we seem to put into the ranking system, it's a miracle those six are even speaking to each other, let alone being friends." In the distance, Lia took a tutoring pose and started explaining things to Jaden, who had mysteriously whipped a notepad and pencil out of thin air, was busying scribbling down notes. Beside her, Bastian leaned over to give his input, as Alexis nodded, and absentmindedly ruffled Syrus' hair, as Chumley laughed as Jaden let out a mournful sigh at a piece of information Lia had just given him. Bastian patted him on the back, and said something that made the boy brighten up. Lia shook her head and made to correct him, but Alexis slung her arm over the other girl's shoulders and made a 'shush' motion with her fingers. Syrus laughed, and grabbed Lia's hand, dragging her out the door, Alexis, linking arms with Jaden and Bastian and following as Bastian held a conversation with Chumley, who brought up the rear.

Sheppard smiled.

" It's a welcome sight, wouldn't you agree Crowler?"

The other man's furious glare twisted into an insincere smile.

" But of course Chancellor, I couldn't possibly be more delighted."

If Sheppard heard the lie in Crowler's screeching voice, he ignored it.

**_**

" He did not say that." Lia scowled at her fork, book open by her elbow. The plate of grilled chicken, neatly cut into slices lay almost untouched in front of her, the juices running off the piece of meat slowing seeping into the absorbent lettuce leaves on the side. She twirled the fork on one of its prongs on the centre of the dish, resting her cheek against her palm and watching the utensil spin. Jaden looked up from his meal beside her, eyeing the cooked poultry with interest.

" You gonna finish that?" He asked with such honesty that all Lia could do was huff at his bad manners and make a show of catching up the fork and stabbing it into the nearest piece of chicken. She brought both metal and meal to her mouth, took a bite, and chewed thoughtfully. With an even more pronounced scowl, she rested the fork, with the chicken slice still firmly stuck to it, against the plate.

" It's all yours, cheri." She deadpanned, only raising an eyebrow as Jaden whisked the plate out from under her nose and began devouring it.

From across the table, his own plate empty, Bastian watched the exchange with a slight smile.

He'd won a game of baseball against Jaden (bragging rights for a minimum of two weeks), his dorm room was freshly painted (and the fact that it took so little time compensated for the fact that he had paint stains on the carpet from their fight), and he had a duel to look forward to tomorrow (albeit, against Chazz, who, after all the stories he'd heard, wasn't his favourite person at the moment), so Bastian was pretty sure he had a right to be rather pleased with himself.

" I'm afraid he did, my dear." Bastian mocked sighed, holding down a grin at the sight of Lia's reaction to his endearment. She obviously was unused to being treated with an excessive amount of attention, so her little blushes were a rather cute source of amusement to him.

" It's no surprise Chazz is the way he is, if that's how the head of his dorm behaves." She huffed, reaching over to fiddle with the spine of her book. She'd been sitting reading, alone in the cafeteria when the three boys had come in, wiping the last vestiges of paint from their faces. Surprisingly, it hadn't been Jaden, but Syrus who had first spotted the Academic, completely absorbed in her novel, sitting primly at a back table. Making a beeline for her, Lia had been forced to set her reading aside and entertain the two Slifers as Bastian went off to get them all something to eat. When he'd come back, his arms supported three dishes piled high with food, Lia's own plate of chicken had been untouched, and Jaden was in the process of describing the baseball game, with Syrus laughing at his side, to an indulgent Academic.

It wasn't until he'd mentioned Crowler and the that the Obelisk head had wanted to speak to Bastian that Lia's small smile dropped. Hazel eyes had darted up to his face as he'd set the plates down, and he'd smiled sheepishly at his fellow Ra. Unfortunately, his charming facial expression had not deterred her.

" Speaking of Chazz, he's the one I'm dueling tomorrow." Bastian wiped his mouth with a napkin.

" What's the occasion?" Lia drawled, glancing at the two boys to her left out of the corner of her eye as Jaden started choking, and Syrus tried desperately to pound him on the back in the hopes of helping him. Lia reached over and, without taking her eyes off of Bastian's face, smacked Jaden hard mid-back. The blockage (whatever it had been) went tumbling down his throat, and he let out a gasp, followed quickly by a breathless thank you. Syrus patted him on the shoulder and scolded him, but Lia merely nodded, still looking at the British boy.

" Rank test." Bastian folded his napkin, sighing at the look of fury on Lia's face.

" Those things are so…" She trailed off, searching her vocabulary for a word strong enough to describe her feelings. To Bastian's amusement, she came up short, opting instead to let out a dark sounding noise in place of whatever vulgar term she'd bee looking for.

" While I agree that they are-" and here, he let out a noise similar to the one she'd made. She scowled at him, ", I really like a chance to prove my worth."

" What, getting sick of lobster?" Lia pointed to the empty plate in front of him that had been carrying lobster when he first got it.

" Not quite." Bastian drawled as he watched Jaden eye the bowl of French vanilla Lia had snagged for dessert.

" Hey, Li-" She whipped the bowl over to him. " Thanks, Ko-" She fixed him with a cold look. Jaden shut up, and dug into the ice cream with relish.

" You're being particularly generous today." Bastian observed.

" I'm not hungry." Lia rolled her eyes. " And don't change the subject."

" You really should eat more." Bastian cast an eye on her think shoulders and the narrow wrists peeking out from her white turtleneck. " You're thin as a stick."

Lia's face darkened.

" And _you're_ being about as tactful as _Ron Weasely_ on an off day!"

Jaden looked up from his gorging as Lia outright glared at Bastian, her face red and her hands clenched into fists. Bastian held his hands up as a sign of surrender, smiling nervously and sweat dropping slightly.

" Sorry. I didn't mean to…I wasn't trying to offend you." He waved his hands up and down. " I just meant that you're very thin, so you should eat more. You could…you could benefit from putting on a little weight."

" Yeah, get some meat on those bones, Twig Girl!" Jaden called back as he walked over to the counter to set the plates down. The spoon that had been lying by her book came flying through the air and smacked Jaden right in between the eyes. He let out a yelp of pain and fell down, rubbing the red mark on his face.

" A shot like that aughta be worth 20 points, easy." Syrus murmured, but Lia pushed the hair back out of her face, and picked up her book.

" My body really doesn't concern you." She stood up, tucking the book under her arm, and grabbing the glass of water she'd been drinking from. " _Any_ of you."

With clean, precise steps, she walked up to the counter and deposited her glass, thanking the chef in fluent French and turning towards the door.

" That isn't fair, Lia." Bastian had gotten up and followed after her. " You're my dorm mate and my friend, I should think I have a right to worry about y-"

But Lia whipped around, her face flushed and crimson, but her eyes oddly shiny and over bright in the florescent lighting, and when she spoke, her voice sounded oddly choked and strained.

" Yeah, well, if everything works out the way you hope tomorrow, we won't _be_ dorm mates anymore, will we, _Bastien_?" His name sounded a little bit like a curse. " So you and Jaden and everybody else can just stop poking your noses in they don't belong, and let _me_ worry about me! I was taking care of myself just _fine_ before I met any of you, thank you very much, and I don't need anybody holding my hand!" She jabbed her finger into his chest. " So you can just run off and join Obelisk for all I care, because I can look after myself!" Her glittering eyes glared at him. " I've been doing it a lot longer than any of you seem to realize."

She was addressing them as a group, but her eyes never left Bastian's face, and the weight of her look somehow made him feel like it was all his fault, like at the root of her anger and harsh words there was something he'd done to trigger them.

" Lia..." Syrus whispered, stunned. Abruptly, Lia took a step back and lowered her head, allowing the usual curl to fall over one of her eyes.

" Forget it, alright?" She took a step back, her voice defeated. " Just…just leave me alone, okay?"

Bastian reached a hand out to her, but she backed away from it as though it were a poisonous snake. Her eyes flashed to his, and he was surprised to see a flicker of real, honest _hurt_ in them before the girl whipped around and darted out of the room (but at a pace that was controlled enough for it to not be running).

" Lia!" Jaden started after her, but Syrus grabbed his forearm and shook his head, looking as the last brown curl disappeared around a corner.

**_**

Alexis opened the door and Lia stumbled into the threshold, fist held aloft and one hand gripping the doorframe to keep herself upright. Alexis blinked at the head of brown that was bent to look at her floor and opened her mouth to ask what was going on when Lia looked up.

Her eyes were rimmed with red and she was shaking slightly, and from the look on her face (scared, a little lost, but almost frighteningly determined) Alexis could only hazard to guess that something major had happened in the span of a few hours (she'd last seen Lia when the girl had turned right to go to her dorm, while Alexis had continued straight). Lia stepped into the room with purpose, but allowed Alexis to close the door, looking around at the three large beds and wide TV screen before whipping around to face the blonde girl.

" Both of us were wrong." She blurted, and then winced at her own outburst.

" Huh?" Alexis stared at the younger girl, clearly puzzled. Lia bit her lower lip. Shifting it between her teeth as she tried to put her thoughts into comprehensible sentences.

" I…we…at the abandoned dorm." Lia waved her hands about, trying to get her point across. " We…we were both wrong. About what was down that hallway."

Alexis blinked in confusion. Loa let out a long, agitated breath and massaged the bridge of her nose.

" Our bet!" She said in exasperation, and something clicked in Alexis' mind.

" That thing about the monster vs. the freaky lab?" She asked slowly. Lia nodded distractedly, staring at the opposite wall, lip caught between her teeth yet again.

" Yeah. We were both wrong." Alexis eyed her warily, trying to dig out the meaning behind Lia's desperate pondering.

" Well, I guess that just means that the bet it null and void." She reason, but Lia shook her head quickly, brown curls whipped from side to side and smacking the Academic in her pale face. And it hit Alexis that Lia's hair was out of its customary ponytail, falling over her shoulders and brushing the collarbone that was hidden under white fabric. Lia reached up with a thin hand (attached to a small wrist) and fiddled with one of the curls hanging by her chin, and Alexis looked, with little interest, at the dimple that formed on the back of her wrist, and followed the line down to her jutting elbow.

Alexis forced her jaw to stay firmly attached to her face as she realized that she could see Lia's arms. The pristine white turtleneck had been replaced by a plain white T-shirt with a few words in French scribbled on it at odd angles. The sleeves fell to just above her elbows, but beyond that, Alexis could see the pale, thin arms that Lia constantly kept covered up.

" I think…" Lia fumbled over her words, " I think that…that we should have…another…we should do something else…since we both lost the bet."

" Like what?"

Lia bit her lip until it turned almost white around the edges where it vanished into her mouth. She looked away, her red eyes looking in the corner, at the bed, at the television, anywhere but Alexis' face.

" Lia." The blonde stand sternly, and the hazel eyes snapped up to her face.

" Who's Atticus?" Lia said in a voice that was barely a whisper.

The world stood still.

" Wh-What?" Alexis stuttered.

" I said-"

" I know what you said!" She knew she shouldn't snap at the girl, not when Lia was looking at her like that, but she couldn't help it. Some defense mechanism had reared its furious head at the sound of that particular name, and fought back against anything linked to it with brutal force.

" I want to know who Atticus is." Lia, as opposite to her behaviour not five seconds ago, refused to stop looking into Alexis' narrowed eyes. " And I want to know what happened at the abandoned dorm."

" What happened to waiting, huh?" Alexis shot back, eyes sparking but shoulders shaking. " What happened to letting me have my time? Or was that just a lie?! Was it a trick to get me to trust you, is that it? Maybe Chazz was right about you, maybe you _are_ using me!" It was an unfair call and a low blow, but she was in too much of a panic to care. " Who do think you _are_, huh?! You have _no_ right to be asking me questions like that! Who Atticus is and who he was to me is _my_ business, you got that! So you can just _butt out_ and stop –"

" My father died when I was eight."

In the same, flat, controlled tone Lia normally used when answering a question for history class, the girl Alexis froze mid rant, staring wide eyed at the stiff backed, rigid shouldered young girl, who stared back with eyes that told the blonde that she wasn't the only one in the room who had had her heart broken. Alexis looked at Lia, from a distance of about a meter and a half, and had the strongest feeling of looking at the girl from across a giant gorge that stretched on for miles and miles; just a great, black, bottomless crack in the earth separating them form each other. Then Alexis blinked (and Lia did not and for some reason that felt so significant) and the chasm was gone and Lia was right in front of her, close enough for Alexis to touch, close enough for her to see the tear tracks down the other girl's cheeks and the few freckles spread out over her slightly red nose.

" What?"

Lia stared forward into Alexis' eyes, worrying her lip between her teeth. Neither girl noticed as she bit too hard and the thin trickle of blood seeped over Lia's chin and dripped onto the carpet below.

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Hey everyone! As promised, here's the next chapter! I like this chapter much more than the last one, becasue here, I get to show Lia's human, scared side, that doesn't get shown much, not even in the later Years. She's usually meant to be this strong, aloof femal figure that you can trust to listen, but not necessarly to care about your problems. But here, in this chapter, she gets sto be vulnerable, and for once, her expansive vocabulary and cutting wit seem to have deserted her. Enjoy this vulnerable Lia, as opposed to the cruel one of last chapter, because this side of her doesn't come out too often. And when it does...well, it doesn't always mean good things on the horizon.

Some translations? You got it.

The essay - Jaden was assigned one in the canon, remember? Well, this time, he'll just get it done quicker. ...No, Lia's not gonna do it for him. She has ethics, you know.

" What's the point of making friends in school if they don't help you out with your homework every now and then?" - I love Sheppard. I really do. I just...he's so much fun to write.

Lia giving Jaden her food - Lia without an appetite is _bad_. Remember that. If it ever comes up that she's 'not hungry', you can bet something's bugging her.

Throwing the spoon at Jaden's head - More of Lia's uncanny throwing ability will be revealed as the story goes on! It's just so much _fun_.

My body is none of your business! - Starting to get irrational...

Keep your noses out of my business! - Getting more irrational...

So you can just run off and join Obelisk Blue for all I care...! - And now we get to the heart of the problem. Lia, as you will see, has a bit of trouble when it comes to trusting men. And there's a reason behind that. (At least my father didn't _walk out_ on me!)

Lia and Alexis - Take note of what Lia is wearing. A white T-shirt. Empty canvas, blank screen. She's ready to let go of some of her walls. She's ditched her turtleneck. Remember, pay attention to the colour and number of layers she's wearing.

Alexis' Accusation - Alexis has always, even in the canon, been very defensive whenever her brother's disappearance comes up. This is my take on how she would panic in this sort of situation. She's in the wrong, saying those things to Lia.

My father died when I was eight-year-old. - ...

MoS

A sign reading **We are currently expriencing technical difficulties. Please Stand By.** is all that can be seen.

Alexis: (In the distance) Where is it?! Where the _Hell_ is it?!

Jaden: (Also in the distance) How should I know?!


	18. The Kidnapping

Warnings: Just a little bit o' blood. Nothing _too_ serious. Oh, and some swearing! Yay!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year One: The Academic**

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As she was being forcibly dragged down the hallway by the monkey wearing a contraption that looked like it belonged in a low budget sci-fi movie, Jasmine was resigned herself to that fact that it was going to be one of those days.

The fact that her morning had been less than stellar should probably have tipped her off, but she was (and she would die before she admitted this out loud) too busy brooding.

Over the fact that Jaden and Syrus had miraculously managed to escape expulsion.

Over the fact that Chazz had lost to Bastian Misawa three days previously.

Over the fact that Alexis, _her_ best friend, seemed to have more fun hanging out with the Wicked Bitch of Ra Yellow than the other Blues.

Alexis had locked both her and Mindy out of their shared dorm room for an hour and half the night Lia Shanner had come running to the older girl for some reason or another. Jasmine hadn't quite heard all the details, but if the rumours buzzing around campus were to be believed (and Jasmine knew better than to put money on the credibility of the sources), Lia had had some sort of confrontation with her little group the day before Bastian and Chazz's rank test. And while the details were sketchy at best, there was one piece of information (one that everyone of her sources _swore_ was true) that caught Jasmine's attention and held it fast:

Several Ra's had reported the unfathomable: Lia Shanner, the sarcastic loner Academic, in tears.

In _tears_.

It was a phenomenon if ever there was one. Slifers beating Obelisks happened (not as frequently as it seemed to be happening this year, but it _had_ occurred before), but seeing someone like Lia, someone as aloof and bitter as she was, in such a vulnerable state was the equivalent, for many people, to seeing Zane Trusedale skipping merrily down the path to the school, humming. It didn't happen. It just _didn't_.

Under all her incredulous surprise, Jasmine acknowledged that she was being unfair. She knew that Lia was every bit as much of teenaged girl as Jasmine herself, and had every right to spontaneously break out into a fit of tears or laughter, if she so pleased. She was a human girl with hormones and blood and confusing thoughts drifting around through a head that was too small to house them all, and so they had to come bursting out someplace, at sometime. And Jasmine might even have felt a twinge of sympathy, because at the core of Lia's uncharacteristic behaviour, there seemed to be the same desperate need to be understood, coupled with the fear of being understood and being found wanting that all young people felt when they reached the cusp of their adulthood, if she had allowed herself to feel anything but contempt.

Because Lia had stood up to her, when everyone had just taken one look at the colour of her uniform and backed down for so long she'd become accustom to it.

Because Lia had blatantly told her no when she had been utterly expecting a submissive yes, and it threw her whole world for a loop.

Because Lia had slapped her sharply when pressed, and reminded Jasmine that just because she wore a blue miniskirt didn't make her better than anyone else; reminded her of the lessons her parents had taught her that she had conveniently forgot when given a taste of privilege and favourtism.

And it reminded Jasmine of how ashamed her parents would have been if they could've seen her right then.

Jasmine had grit her teeth as she walked down the hall, thinking about the way her cheek had stung and the sparks almost shooting out of those hazel eyes.

And for some God unknown reason, Alexis had seen fit to not only _defend_ the girl, but also to go out of her way to tell Jasmine to leave the Academic alone, as if the brunette had been the victim in the scenario.

(And maybe she had been, Jasmine could admit, but the girl had been muttering about her pictures, and had let slip that she had that shot of Syrus paddling towards the girls' dorms, and Jasmine had still been angry and sore and flabbergasted by the fact that Alexis – beautiful, smart, _perfect_ Alexis – had lost to a no name, first year Slifer punk with a head that was filled with more air than brains. And she's reacted in a way that seemed only natural after two years in Obelisk Blue: she demanded the Ra student hand over her photos so that the two Slifers could finally be put in their places.)

She just hadn't expected the girl to say no. She hadn't expected a newbie Academic (didn't know a trap card from a hole in the ground) to have the guts to stand up for herself and her rights (why should Jasmine have expected _that_ of all things? Nobody else did), and when the girl had impudently refused to cooperate, Jasmine had felt her temper spark and she had seen red

" Little bitch." She'd snarled, but the heat of several months ago had died down to a dull simmer. She'd brushed a stray strand of red hair out of her face and turned around the next corner, intent on getting to class.

And it was about that time that the monkey had darted out and hooked her under its surprisingly strong arm.

Later, Jasmine would admit that the duel disk clamped into the creature's right arm had jabbed her in the ribs for nearly the duration of her kidnapping (because later, that was what it would be called; that or 'The Wheeler Incident'. Of course, as she was being dragged off, Jasmine had no idea of any of this), and had ended up leaving a rather ugly looking purple bruise that made her hesitant to wear the new bikini she had bought over the summer. But, embarrassingly enough, she hadn't really noticed the hunk of metal digging into her side as she was being carried off.

She was too busy screaming bloody murder.

The monkey, still carrying her under his arm like some twisted kind of prize, made a sharp left around a corner, and chattered something in response to Jasmine's high pitched shriek. The noise only served to make her wail louder.

" Put me _down_! Let go, let go, _let go_!" She wiggled in his grip to find an angle at which she could strike her captor. " You stupid hairy freak, let me the _Hell_ go!"

The monkey made another sharp turn and Jasmine's head was bashed against the wall _hard_. Her mind spinning and the world fading into fuzzy outlines and swirling colours, Jasmine clenched her fists in the nearest thing (which happened to be the monkey's shoulder) and tried to keep herself focused on what was happening around her. With more force than it should ever had required, Jasmine pulled her mind out of the hazy world and made her eyes refocus on the path her assailant was taking.

Her eyes widened as she saw one of the large windows in the corridor heading right for them at frightening speeds.

" Oh _fuck_." She hissed, and started her struggle anew.

" Let me go, let me go, let me go!" She screamed, the first traces of tears gathering in her eyes. " You c_an't_ possibly think we'll survive jumping _through that_!" The monkey paid her no heed and ran towards the glass. " We'll be cut to shreds! Put me down, you fucking ape!"

She finally managed to twist around, tears streaming from her eyes (because she honestly believed she was about to die) and raised a balled fist to beat in the side of his head.

She crashed to the ground as she was released.

She took a majority of the impact with her shoulder and already bruised side, and from the dull ache spreading down her arm, she could only guess at the size the bruise would be when it formed.

Her head still spinning, Jasmine pushed up on her hands and tried to right herself, leaning unsteadily in a sitting position. She brought a hand up to her aching head, and her palm met with something wet. She yanked it back and, to her utter horror, a streak of red was splashed onto her appendage.

' Oh God, oh God, oh Godohgdohgodohgodoh_god_…' She chanted to herself as she stared uncomprehendingly at her blood stained hand.

A loud crash from directly behind her had her scurrying for cover. Glass shards reigned down over her covered head and she bit her lip as one or two scratched her arms. She looked up, just as the monkey lowered his duel disk arm and reached for her again.

" No way!" She shouted, and shuffled backwards, trying to navigate her way through the glass to some safer location. But the monkey simply darted forward on faster legs, caught her up once more, and swung out the window into mid air.

Jasmine screamed, closed her eyes, and, with the air rushing around her and her hair blown away from her face, clasped her hands and mentally recited the Lord's Prayer. Or at least she meant to do it mentally. But somewhere between jumping out the window, and free falling into the green trees several stories below, she started whispering it fervently under her breath, which evolved into saying it, which became shouting it, which boiled down to her pleading over her tears.

" I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna _die_!" She sobbed over the wind rushing in her ears. The tears whipped down her face and the air around her stung their tracks icy on her cheeks. The arm around her waist tightened and Jasmine sucked in what she supposed would be her last breath, and braced herself for the bone shattering impact of the tree trunks with her frail body.

And then everything stopped.

Jasmine peeked one eye open, and the other flew open and her jaw dropped at the sight before her.

" Oh. Vous." Lia Shanner, water bottle in hand and a monkey poking at her unbound hair, looked at Jasmine boredly. " Jasmin, non?"

She pronounced the 'j' as though it were a 'sh'.

" Jasmine." She found herself correcting immediately, more out of habit than anything else.

" Zat's…That's what I said." Lia rolled her eyes, her accent slightly thicker than normal.

Jasmine glared at her; again out of habit – Jasmine was too shaken to really be anything but irritable. The monkey carefully lowered the redhead down to the wide branch it had landed on, and fully unwound its arm from her waist as soon as it seemed certain she was stable. Jasmine stayed on her hands and knees for a few moments, breathing deeply and trying to slow her heart beat down to something even remotely resembling its normal pace. When her breathing had evened out and she was able to tell one heartbeat from the next, Jasmine crawled forward on shaky hands and knees, staring straight ahead and trying to keep her vision from swimming too badly. Her hand slipped and she went smashing down against the bark, cursing and gritting her teeth. As she hauled herself back up, a hand unfurled in front of her face. She glanced up to see Lai leaning forward from her resting place against the massive trunk of the tree, hand extended.

" Well?" She raised and eyebrow.

" I don't need help." Jasmine grit out, looking darkly at the offered appendage.

" Cherie, you can barely support yourself you're shaking so bad." Lia leaned further forward and grabbed Jasmine's forearm. A slight tug had the older girl stumbling forward. Jasmine crawled on the branch quickly, trying to keep her legs in line and her hands from trembling bad enough to cause her to slip. She fell, very white, against the same trunk Lia was leaning against, and let out several sniffles.

" I thought I was gonna die…" She murmured to herself, missing Lia's uncomfortable look as the younger dropped the arm she had been holding.

" Get comfortable." Lia said, looking forward. " I've been here for half an hour, and the only interesting thing that's happened has been you and your boyfriend dropping in for a visit."

Jasmine huffed.

" That was bad."

" I know."

" So why did you say it then?"

" This is the first human conversation I've had since these guys," a thumb at the surrounding monkeys, " grabbed me. I'm allowed to be off my game."

Jasmine let herself snort.

" You're an idiot."

" Oh, the comebacks I could throw at you."

" So why aren't you then? Call me crazy, but last time I checked, we weren't exactly the best of friends."

" We still aren't." Lia's tone was cold. " But having a shouting match would antagonize the monkeys, who have sharp teeth and who can climb down from this tree while we can't." Jasmine blinked at her. " Yeah, think about that."

Jasmine leaned over to glance down and quickly shuffled back towards the middle of the branch.

" Holy shit!" She hissed. " We're…we must be…_damn _that's a long way down!"

Lia took a sip from her water bottle.

" I try not to think about it." She stated, wiping her mouth. But Jasmine scuttled closer, eyeing the edge of the branch with frightened eyes.

" No, I mean it's a _long_ way down." She reiterated, pointing to where the expanse of green started, several meters below. " A _long_ way."

" Don' tell me…" Lia trailed off, looking at Jasmine as though she had only just seen her for the first time.

" I don't like heights, okay?" The redhead snapped defensively. " They're…they're just so damn _high_!"

It took her a minute to register what she had just said.

" Don't say anything." She growled at the brunette. Lia shrugged and looked off into the distance, squinting.

" Wasn't gonna." The younger girl glanced at the branch. " When'd the cyber monkey leave?"

" Huh?"

" The one that brought you here. He's gone."

" Oh, yeah, I guess he is. Sneaky little bastard."

" Yeah."

They lapsed into an uneasy silence. Jasmine acknowledge that, for all her railing on the girl in her mind, when confronted by Lia Shanner (in the flesh, with thoughts and feelings and the ability to fight back against all of Jasmine's slander), the Obelisk found herself at a complete loss for words. Here was the recent object of her disgruntlement (because it took more than a bitchy Academic to rattle Jasmine Makita for long), who had defied her and taunted her and made Jasmine feel small, (which was something no one had managed to do since Alexis had trounced her in their first duel) and every cruel word and snarky comeback Jasmine had thought up while imagining putting the Academic in her place died on her tongue.

Because Lia was leaning back against the same tree trunk she was, and Lia's hair was unbound and roughed up, and from this close, Jasmine could make out little rips in her white turtleneck (her Ra jacket was firmly tied around her waist), and dark marks appearing on her wrists, and there was dirt smudged across her nose.

Because even though Lia's tone and posture was calm, the grip she had on the strap of the camera that dangled from her neck was vice like (if her white knuckles were anything to go by) and every time one of the surrounding monkeys got to close, Lia tensed up a little in fear.

Because Jasmine had heard that Lia had broken down, had finally lost control over her carefully hidden emotions, and had gone running to Alexis for comfort about something none of the guys in their group could ever hope to give.

Because Mindy was refusing to go after Bastian, whom she could have in a heartbeat, because she knew Lia liked the genius and had decided that asking out another girl's crush just wasn't good form. And when Jasmine had protested (because Mindy had a head of air and a heart of gold and couldn't make wise decisions to save her life) that Mindy didn't even _know_ the Academic, Mindy had merely smiled and said that if Alexis liked her so much, she couldn't be all bad.

Jasmine found herself completely unarmed and unprepared for it when Lia glanced over, sighed, and dug in her back pocket for something. Yanking out a packet of Kleenex, Lia twisted slightly on the branch to face Jasmine.

" You've got dried blood all down the side of your face." Lia said in a monotone, but her stance was rather stiff, as though she couldn't quite find the right way to sit. Jasmine reached up and absentmindedly touched the prickly, hard substance that started just under her hairline and stretched down to a little under her chin. Grimacing, she rubbed at her cheek, trying to dislodge something. And then the word 'blood' registered in her mind.

" Shit." She hissed, running a finger down the length of the dried fluid. "Shit, shit, shit, shit."

" It's not that bad." Lia was yanking out a few tissues. " Head wounds always bleed a lot. You're not as bad off as you seem to think."

" And how would you know?" Jasmine snapped, her temper compensating for her fear. Lia shrugged.

" I banged my head off of a cave ceiling pretty badly once when I was a kid. It bled a lot, and I was dizzy, but it was fine after a while." Lia poured some water from her bottle onto the wad of tissues. " And I have no idea why I'm telling you this. I must really be desperate for conversation."

" What, the apes won't listen to your life's story?" Jasmine sneered, but shuddered as she tried to pick away at her face.

" Actually, we were discussing literature." Lia quipped, shuffling forward. " They're great listeners, when they aren't focused on grooming you."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

" I lost a good hair scrunchie because they wanted to get to my hair." Lia stop when she was close enough to count the carefully hidden freckles on Jasmine's nose. " Tilt your head a little." Lia instructed.

" Why?"

" So I can see the wound."

" Why?"

" You sound like a toddler." Lia scolded, and forced Jasmine's head to the side. " I want to clean it a little. It seems to be done bleeding for now."

" Why are you being so nice?" The words came tumbling out before Jasmine really even knew what they had intended to be once they left her mouth. Lia paused, and though for a minute, but then brushed aside some red hair and rubbed the wet Kleenex against a point on Jasmine's temple. The older girl hissed at the sensation, and made to pull away, maybe demand an answer. Lia placed a slender, but firm hand on the bare shoulder in front of her and held Jasmine still, continuing to run the dampness over what Jasmine could only assume was a shallow cut on her forehead.

" Because what else should I do?" Lia asked simply. " Be a bitch while you're clearly fighting down panic?" Jasmine opened her mouth to protest, to say that she wasn't anywhere close to being afraid, but the cold, heavy feeling in her stomach that had appeared when she'd first looked over the branch and into the green abyss and hadn't vanished since shut her jaw before it could even open. " Trade insults back and forth with you and agitate the animals that have us at their mercy far enough from the ground for the fall alone to kill us?" Jasmine shuddered, and focused instead on the slightly painful prickling sensation that emanated from where Lia was scrubbing. It took her mind off the monkeys that surrounded them sitting quietly and watching the two humans interact. " Let you sit there with a head injury and a bloody face and tremble because you're afraid of heights?" Lia's swipe across the wound wasn't exactly gentle, but it did get a majority of the dried blood around it to crumble and fall away. Lia folded the wet tissues over and started on the blood around Jasmine's eyebrow and cheekbone. " A bitch I will concede to being, but inhuman I am not." Jasmine let herself snort at the choice of wording. " You're hurt, and I have the means to help you. And while I can't cure you of your acrophobia, I'll assume that the pain of detaching a notable amount of dried blood from your finely plucked eyebrows, and your full body hair will provide sufficient distraction from it."

To be perfectly fair, it had been a weird enough day already. A long night, a lousy morning, a bad test and then, to top it all off, a monkey with a duel disk had swooped in out of nowhere and hauled her off to a high tree with a girl she hated and left her there to rot. So really, it shouldn't have been much of a surprise when Jasmine burst out laughing.

She giggled and twisted and laughed as Lia held her steady. She wrapped her arms around her stomach because it had started to hurt, and she rocked back and forth, gasping for breath in between her giggles. Tears sprung into her eyes as she continued to laugh, unable to distinguish what it was she found so amusing. The tears poured down her cheeks, and Lia's fingernails dug into her shoulder as her snickering finally started to subside.

But her tears did not.

Shoulders still shaking, Jasmine let her head fall to her chest and sobbed, vaguely aware of the mixture of blood and water slowly pouring down the side of her face. She curled in on herself and let the tears come tumbling out, trying desperately to force all the shock and terror of her day out before it all bunched up inside her and exploded, leaving her up the creek without a paddle.

Lia simply kept washing away the remnants of blood, murmuring quietly in French.

And while Jasmine had no idea what the other girl was saying, the comforting tone and rolling pitch made her feel just the tiniest bit better.

**_**

Jaden had only been enthusiastic about dueling a monkey right up until the point when Wheeler (who had far too much of a hostage situation going on up in that tree for it to be completely coincidental) had decided to try and force someone's (Jaden had no idea who's) hand. By dangling Lia over the edge of the branch.

And that was when Jaden got angry.

To her credit, Lia had looked down, gulped, and then forced herself to calmly ask Wheeler if he could kindly put her back on the branch. When the monkey had shaken his head (Jaden tried very hard not to wonder how he had understood the girl), Lia had smiled, nodded, and let loose such a string of French curses that the bilingual scientists on the ground below had turned bright red and sputtered. Behind the primate and girl, Jasmine had been adding her own opinion of the situation just as colourfully, and, as Jaden had managed to scale his way up to a corresponding branch, had darted forward, grabbed Lia's arm, and hauled the girl back to the safety of the trunk.

" Keep your grimy paws off, banana breath." Jasmine snarled as Jaden activated his duel disk. The click of the mechanism blinking to life had Lia whipping her head and peering around Jasmine's shoulder to look at the source of the noise.

" You've got to be shitting me." She turned to Jasmine. " Tell me he's kidding."

" I think he's serious." Jaden heard Jasmine reply.

" Of course he is." Lia moaned. " He just loves to complicate my life, doesn't he?"

* * *

Hi. So, I bet you're all wondering where I've been. And my answer is: Under a pile of school work. I guess April and May are just busy times. The pouring in of projects will probably die down around June, because then we have to start preparing for second semester exams. And prom. Oh God, PROM! I still have so much to do! ...Moving on. Tonight, you'll get two chapters, and a little extra Naruto thing I've been working really hard on. So, how's about some translations?

Jasmine's attitude: I felt the need to explain about her reasons. Even a villan has something that drives them, right?

Lia's accent: I think that her unconcious use of the accent is jsut so _cute_! I'm trying really hard to to make her a tsundere character, but she has elements of that type (cold at first, but warming up later), but I thik that's how people operate. They warm up to people the more they get to know them. But there are still a lot of layers of Lia to explore.

acrophobia: Fear of heights, according to Wikipedia.

The blood on Jazz's face: I heard that head wounds tend to bleed a lot. Also, Lia hit her head in a _cave_. Why, of all places, would she be in a _cave_? Also, where was she when she was attacked by the black mist?

The crying: Hysteria setting in...

Jasmine grabbing Lia back: It's been a long day. They've been up in a tree for God only knows _how_ long. Of course you'll feel protective of the _one other person_ sharing this traumatizing exprience with you!

And that's really all for now!

MoS.

(We are _still_ expriencing technical difficulties. Please stand by.)

Alexis: (at a distance) I swear to fucking God if I don't have that folder in my hands in the next three seconds, there is gonna be _BLOOD_!


	19. The Reveal

Warnings: Revelations, on the part of Jaden about Lia. Also, pay attentio to how I write Jaden in this chapter. There's a slight nod to a future plot point. ...Hey, where's my folder?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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* * *

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**Year One: The Acaemic**

* * *

By the time he managed to slowly shimmy down the tree, Jaden noticed that Wheeler had already deposited a wailing Jasmine on the ground, and was scampering back up the trunk of the massive oak to get a quieter, but just as (if not more, in his opinion) shaken Lia.

Jaden slid down the last few meters, his arms wrapped tightly around the trunk, and tried to ignore the splinters that where getting speared in his red coat. With a satisfied sound, he felt his feet make contact with the sturdy ground and let go of the branch, only to find he wasn't as well balanced as he had believed and fell, arms flailing out desperately, onto his backside.

" Hope no one saw that." He muttered to himself. Over by the girls (who were all locked in a tight hug, rubbing Jasmine's back comfortingly and cooing over her head wound), Syrus gave a small snicker.

" Nice landing." The blue haired boy grinned good-naturedly. " Nine out of ten."

" Oh, shut up, Sy." Jaden stretched out a hand, which Syrus grabbed and leaned his weight back, hauling Jaden forward and upward. Brushing off any lingering dust, Jaden glanced up as Wheeler swung down in front of the two boys, Lia held tightly in his grasp.

The girl stepped out of the grip, looking at the ground, and Wheeler let his arm drop, chattering quietly in a language no human could understand. Lia made to move away from the monkey, but the time spent sitting crouched on a tree branch and the stress of the day had finally taken their toll. She pitched forward, her legs giving out from under her.

Both Jaden and Syrus darted forward, Syrus catching her around the waist and steadying her as Jaden hooked his arm around her shoulders and angled her body so that most of her weight was leaning on him, keeping her upright.

" Easy, Lia. You've had a rough day." Jaden pushed her onto her feet again.

" Yeah, just relax." Syrus smiled at her, but the brunette looked away.

" I'm fine. Thank you." She shuffled away.

" I just need to lie down for a bit."

" Lia…" Syrus trailed off, watching her form slowly shrink as she walked off. Something shifted in Jaden, pushing past his fatigue and worn nerves, and spurring a heat in his blood that had his legs moving before he'd even realized what was happening. Something about watching Lia walk away, something about just _letting_ her walk away seemed so incredibly _wrong_ it almost made Jaden queasy.

" Lia." He called after her, but she didn't stop walking. His legs started working faster.

" Lia!" He was running now, staring at her back as she sped up herself, and the world was tilted on two very wrong axis, because Lia was his friend, and shouldn't she be waiting for him? He tried to remember the look on her face three days ago when she'd run out of the Ra cafeteria, but all that came to mind was bright eyes and a voice that were strained with something intangible.

And as his fingers closed around her wrist, Jaden thought that just maybe, he understood.

" Hey, stop walking!" He gave a sharp yank, and the girl went twisting back, spinning on her heel and skidding to a stop, facing him. For a split second, hazel eyes stared at him incredulously, before they darted off to the side and down, refusing to meet his confused, angry gaze.

" Didn't you hear me calling you?" He let his voice be sharper than normal, just to let her know how much her dismissal had agitated him. With a dark little flare of satisfaction, he saw her face pinch up in shame just the slightest bit.

" I heard you." It was said in a monotone, but her voice was so small, (so unsure, so _weak_. Had she ever been like this before, he wondered), she sounded more breakable than she ever had before.

" So why didn't you stop?" He almost regretted the harshness in his tone when Lia took her lower lip in between her teeth and worried it over, biting down slightly. The wrist he held clasped in his fingers was limp, and when he let it drop, it fell lifelessly to her side. But his head was buzzing with confusion and his body felt hot because she had just walked away, as if she didn't care, as if they all meant nothing…

" I just…I didn't…we…" For once, Lia's voice seemed to fail her, and her vocabulary deserted her with a vengeance.

" Did I offend you somehow? Is that why you don't wanna talk to me?" He asked, trying to get a good look at her face. Her head tilted back and forth almost unnoticeably.

" No, it's…it's nothing like…_that_." Her voice was steady, but there was a barely there tremble of her shoulders.

" Did I piss you off, or something?" He tried again, holding his hands out in front of himself helplessly, as if he wanted to touch her, to grab onto her, just to prove that she was really there.

" It's nothing you did…you didn't do anything." Lia seemed to be searching for words, slowly dragging syllables up her throat and out her mouth, rolling them over her tongue. It was as though the words didn't sound right, and with each twist of her mouth she was trying to accommodate the words that shaped themselves uncomfortably in it. " I just…I realized…it's not like it's _your_ fault or anything. You've been very nice…a lot nicer than some people…"

" Do you not like us anymore?" Syrus' voice, small, scared, shaking, asked from the place beside Jaden, where neither boy nor girl had noticed him come up.

" No!" Lia shook her head violently this time, curls bouncing back and forth and slapping her in the face. " No, I _do_, really, but I…"

She trailed off again, biting onto her lip and looking at the ground, as though wishing it would open up and swallow her whole, locking her up in the cool, damp darkness, far away from the rest of the world.

Jaden's hands shot out and grasped at her shoulders, digging the nails in a little as his frustration came to a head. With a forcefulness he had forgotten he had, the Slifer boy yanked the girl in yellow forward and caught her startled gaze with his own sparking one.

" Look at me." He commanded, and his voice was low. " Lia, look at me when I'm talking to you."

His eyes felt very hot, and Lia was staring right into them, quiet, complacent, and utterly cowed.

" Jay…" Syrus glanced in between them.

" Why did you run away? Why won't you answer me?" His fingers dug in deeper, but Lia just kept looking into his eyes. " Why won't you let us in?"

" I…I can't…" She stuttered, and Jaden couldn't for the life of him figure out why she was being so docile, why she was acting as if he had robbed her of speech and will with his gaze alone.

" Aren't we friends? Aren't we closer than that? Damnit Lia, we're your friends!" He said with real heat. " Don't you think we deserve more than this brush off-!"

" I don't know!"

Lia wretched herself out of his grasp, swinging back, her hair flying over her shoulders, undone from it's customary binding and tumbled onto the white of her turtleneck, contrasting starkly in thick ringlets. She met his gaze defiantly this time, her face flushed and her eyes shooting little daggers out of them, but the control and tightness of her anger was gone, replaced by something wild and rampant. Her feet were spread apart, and her hands were clenched into white knuckled fists at her sides, and her teeth were grit until they ground together. But there was an air of desperation around her, and though her eyes were burning, they were also over bright.

" I don't know!" She insisted again, looking at him helplessly. " I don't know what you deserve! I don't know how I'm supposed to answer those questions, and I don't know if we really _are_ closer than that, and I don't know why I'm so upset! I just _don't know_!"

She was shaking now, and Jaden reached out to her again, to touch her shoulder, to brush that lock of hair out of her face, _something_, but she jumped back as if burned, and screwed her eyes up tight.

" I don't know if we're friends because I've never really been friends with anybody!" The omission made his chest ache. " People don't _like_ me, Jaden. I'm not someone people go out of their way to talk to. I'm not someone people want to get close to!"

" Lia…" He tried, forgetting that Syrus was there, forgetting that Alexis and Mindy and Jasmine stood only a little ways away, forgetting that Professor Banner was probably looking for them. He forgot everything except the shaking, frightened girl in front of him who, after months of wearing down at her barriers, had finally let him in past the thorns, and stood, bared and vulnerable, before him.

" I'm not a nice person, Jaden. People don't _want_ to be friends with me. And you seemed so insistent, and I just kept waiting for you to give up on me, but you _didn't_!" She shook her head again at the craziness of it all. " You just kept trying to be my friend, and I had no idea what to do! I don't know _how_ to be a friend Jaden!"

Two small tears squeezed out of her eyes, and she made to swiftly brush them away.

And Jaden yanked her into his arms.

He moved without thinking, forgetting that Lia somehow almost managed to stay out of their group hugs, keeping away from the over zealous displays of affection the others in their group were so fond of using. He ignored that she hated the contact, hated being squeezed and pressed too close to others, as if fearful something from them would rub off on her.

Or possibly frightened that the warmth of so many bodies holding her close might melt down the ice she had built up around her.

He pressed her against his chest, taking in the way the little ends of her hair frizzed up in the heat of the afternoon, and the slimness of her shoulder blades, and the little muscles of her jaw working under a layer of skin as she gulped. She breathed in deep, and her chest swelled against his, pushing back in a way that only had him holding her tighter, squeezing the space between her shoulders with his forearm and resting his chin comfortably on her small shoulder, noting somewhere in the back of his mind that she was about a quarter of an inch taller than he was.

" Let me go." She said in perfect English, but with a thicker than usual accent.

He squeezed her tighter.

" Jaden, I'm uncomfortable."

The arm at her waist pulled toward his body.

" Stop it, you're in my space."

Her voice was starting to shake again, and, from the smashing of her heart against her ribcage, she was close to panic.

" I want you to let me go."

" No."

And the dam that had been building since the day he met her, in that history classroom when felt like decades ago, finally broke.

"_Ce qui vous pensent vous faites?! Quel est votre problème__?!_" She struggled against him, pushing at his chest and pounding on any bit of his body she could reach with her pinned hands. " Je veux être libre!"

She whipped her head back and the ends of her hair smacked him in the face, but he kept his grip on her. She was trembling in his arms and Jaden felt quite sure that she was going to break if he let go, because her legs couldn't support her and she would plummet to the ground, and there she would shatter into a hundred million pieces.

" _Vous ne comprenez pas__!_"

" You can shout at me all you want." Jaden whispered. " But I'm not going anywhere."

Lia did, screaming and snarling in French until Jaden was sure she would go hoarse from the effort. She twisted in his grasp and tried to force his arms off of her, but something gave him strength, and he kept his grip, murmuring to her in a mix of English and Japanese, until her head lay against his shoulder, her chest heaving and her anger exhausted, utterly spent. Jaden lowered her to the ground.

" You okay now?"

Behind him, Syrus tentatively reached forward, patting her shoulder awkwardly.

Lia nodded, her bangs falling into her face.

" I don't know how to really _be_ friends…" She muttered, and Jaden despite everything, smiled.

" Don't worry." She looked up at him, and the thorns in her eyes had receded a little. " We'll teach you."

**_**

" So you just ran, blindly, into the dark forest, chasing after some guy in a trench coat?"

" Not some guy! It was Jinzo!"

" Who now?"

" You know, the Duel Monster."

" Oh, so it's another one of your card things."

" Can't you at least pretend to be interested?"

" I pride myself on my honesty."

" Liiiii-aaaa!" Jaden whined, and, under the hair that fell into her face, Lia let a slight smile cross her face.

" Take it easy, chéri, it's not as if you didn't see this coming."

" But still!" He pouted, looking at her with tears glimmering in the corners of his brown eyes. " This is my passion, you could at least feign interest."

Lia eyed him in thinly veiled surprise.

" You _have_ been paying attention in English class."

His pout vanished as he preened under the praise.

" I aim to please."

" Then why don't you start on that homework you got in…what was it…"

" Fusion?" Jaden asked as he hauled open the drawer of the desk he was sitting at. He pulled out several papers, a pencil, and a small dictionary, and placed them all in front of him. From her resting place by the bed, Lia, rolled her eyes.

" Yeah, that one. What do you learn in there anyway?"

" Theory of Fusion, the Principles of Polymerization, why certain things fuse, what causes them to fuse, predicting what fusion will come out of the two fusers, that sort of thing."

Lia blinked at him.

" It sounds like mixing chemicals. You actually get that scientific about it?"

" Everything in Duel Monsters has a scientific application." Jaden put the pen against his mouth, looking pensive. " That's what Professor Banner says, anyway. Fusion is sorta like, I dunno, the chemistry of Duel Monsters."

" Duel Monsters and science. Two words I never thought I'd hear in the same sentence." Lia shook her head. " The world made sense before this moment."

" Oh, shut up." Jaden groused good-naturedly. " You just don't like that there are shades of grey you never knew about."

" I like the shades of grey. In fact, I love the shades of grey." Lia fiddled with the strap of her camera, which lay on the ground beside the lowest bunk. " The shades of grey are my best friends."

" I thought I was your best friend."

" You're a close second."

" What does that make Syrus?"

" Someone I worry about." Hazel eyes glanced around. " Where is the munchkin anyway?"

" Seeing Zane off at the boats." Jaden ignored the way Lia stiffened. " He's going home for the break, but Syrus opted to stay."

" Yes, I can see how Christmas with Zane might not appeal to someone." Her voice may as well have been shards of ice.

" Then what's your excuse?" Jaden twisted in the chair to look at her. " You don't have a brother you'd rather not see, do you?"

" Mama is in China for the next few months, doing research. And Grandmama will be too busy grilling Gauvin to look after me."

She looked up.

" The family's still sorta split right now. We're all just…waiting."

" For what?"

Both occupants of the room jumped as an accented voice drifted through the room.

Bastian stood in the doorway, green scarf wrapped around his neck, and cheeks stung to red with the cold wind whipping off the ocean surrounding them. He walked in, closing the door behind himself, and smiled encouragingly at the Slifer and his fellow Ra.

" Just wanted to come and say goodbye before we push off. You two sure you won't be lonely here all by yourselves for two weeks?"

He was asking both of them, but his eyes were fixed on Lia, who was looking at the corner at the other end of the room, mouth set in a grim line.

" We'll be good." Jaden said, trying to smooth over the awkward silence. " Me 'n Sy can duel all we want, and Lia will be here to make sure we do all our homework."

He tilted his head in her direction, and reached over to nudge her with his sock-clad foot.

" Right?"

Lia stared at the corner, and shrugged.

" Sure, someone has to."

Jaden grinned up at Bastian, who was looking at Lia with a saddened expression.

" You see Bastian? We'll be just fine."

" Yes, I suppose so." Bastian murmured, still looking at the girl who refused to look back.

" Better hurry, or you'll miss your ride to the mainland."

" Yes, I'll see you both in two weeks. Expect something in the mail from me around Christmas Day, alright?"

He headed for the door, tugging the scarf closer around his neck.

" Will do!" Jaden called cheerfully after him.

" Bastien."

The voice, strong, steady, but steely and controlled, stopped him with his one hand on the door. The Ra boy turned around, looking over his shoulder at her. Lia took a deep breath and tilted her head up so that her hazel eyes met his dark ones.

" Lia?" His tone was surprised, and Jaden couldn't blame him. Lia hadn't spoken to him in just under a month.

Lia opened her mouth, but no words came out. Thoughts swirled behind her eyes, words trying to push their way out, tumbling over one another in their desperation. A hundred different feeling converged in her mind and as she tried to grasp at them, they slipped through her thin fingers and fell into chaos.

" Joyeux Noël." She said simply, a weak smile on her face. Bastian returned it with a warmer one.

" To you too, Lia."

He walked out, picked up the duffle bag he'd dropped before coming in, and closed the door with a little wave. The two watched him leave through the window on the wall, a strange feeling of finality settling in over them. Abruptly, Lia looked away from the window and heaved a sigh.

" Was that so hard?" Jaden chided, but Lia looked away.

" Shut up." It wasn't playful. " Just drop it, okay?"

" You're gonna have to face up to whatever this is sometime."

Lia looked at him through her bangs, one eyebrow frowning deeply and the other grazing her hairline.

" You honestly don't know?"

" Girls are all so weird." Jaden huffed. " I don't pretend to understand the way your minds work!"

" Of course not, you're a man."

" Is this gender discrimination?"

" You can't even spell that." Lia said, casting a glance at the door. " I'm hungry."

Jaden blinked.

" And?"

" Come with me to the kitchen."

" Why?"

" I need someone to help me make chocolate fondue. You can wash the strawberries."

He jumped up and followed her to the door, not commenting on the way her walk seemed lighter, like she'd gotten rid of a giant weight.

" We're making fondue?"

" And some hot chocolate maybe." She paused. " I could go for some Chablis." She looked at Jaden. " You wouldn't happen to know where Professor Banner keeps his wines, would you?"

Jaden shook his head.

" Come to think of it, he seems more like a vodka man." She mused, opening the door. " Probably wouldn't have anything I liked."

" Aren't you a minor?"

" I told you. I was raised on fine wine." Lia gave him a devious grin. " I could always write to Grandmama and see if she can't send me a bottle from the wine cellar."

" Should you even be handling wine at your age?"

Lia rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist, pulling him down the steps.

" C'mon, we've got chocolate to melt."

Jaden grinned at her back.

" So have you heard about this 'Duel Giant', Koneko-chan?"

" I don't want to hear about it."

" They say he goes around challenging all the Obelisk Blues to duels, and then when he wins, he takes their jackets and wears them."

" What did I just say?"

" But the thing is, he plays with the ante rule, which is illegal. He's taking other people's cards!"

"Well, bully for him."

" But it's wrong!"

" I really don't care."

" I hope he stayed behind for winter break."

" Why?"

" I wanna duel him!"

" Oh Hell no."

" C'mon, Koneko-chan, it'll be fun!"

" Waiting in the freezing cold dead of night for a large man who could easily crush me is not my idea of fun."

" But, Lia-"

" I said no."

And as she pulled him into the kitchen, the first snowflakes started to fall.

* * *

Okay, serioiusly, _where_ is my folder?! I've been looking for it all chapter long! It's usually on my desk. Why isn't it on my desk? Where is it!

Sorry guys. I need to find that folder. So the translations will just have to wait until next time. (starts walking off)

Where _the hell_ is it?!

Huh? Oh, I guess I can translate the French:

_Ce qui vous pensent vous faites?! Quel est votre problème?!_" " Je veux être libre!"" _Vous ne comprenez pas__!_" - What do you think you're doing?! I want to be free! You don't understand! Draw your own conclusion, my readers.

MoS

Syrus: Um, excuse me? Is anyone here? I found this folder...


	20. The Plan

Warnings: Some harsh language. They're finally starting to sound like _real_ teenagers!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

_

* * *

_

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" _How_ did I let you talk me into this?"

" I'm adorable, and it worked?"

" Are you _sure_ you didn't black-mail me?"

" What could I possibly have on you?"

" That's what I'd like to know."

" Lia, Jaden doesn't even know what black-mail means."

" Yeah!" A pause. " …Hey, wait! I do so!"

" Sure you do, Jay."

" I do!"

" Bien sur, chéri."

" You guys are jerks, you know that?"

" …I've heard worse."

" To be fair, it _is_ Jaden."

" Right. I guess that's the equivalent to 'asshole' for him."

" Can you guys _please_ not talk about me as if I'm not in the room?"

" He's pretty dense too."

" Yes, but I've learned that you _can_ beat some things into that thick skull of his."

" Still standing right here."

" You're an exceptional case."

" Oh?"

" You're just as stubborn as he is."

" I'm right in front of you. I can hear every word."

" Shall I take that as a compliment?" A hint of a threat.

A shrug. " If you want."

" _Guuuuuuuuuys_!" Jaden wailed, and Syrus smiled up at him.

" Oh, lighten up Jay. It's just a bit of fun."

" At my expense!" The other boy insisted.

Syrus shot the girl at his side a surprised look.

" You're right. His vocabulary _is_ improving."

" I pride myself on my honesty." Lia brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. " Which means that I was entirely serious when I told you to leave me out of your adventures."

She fixed Jaden with glaring hazel eyes, sour twist on her mouth. Jaden grinned sheepishly into her darkened face, and raised a hand to scratch the back of his head in nervousness, but did not back down or step away. He remained, smiling cutely and letting his unconscious charisma seep out into the air around him like a shield against the Ra girl's disapproval.

" C'mon, Lia." He encouraged. " It'll be fun."

" That's what you said about the abandoned dorm, and we all know how well _that_ turned out." The girl snapped, but Jaden could see that there was no ice in her eyes.

" But this time we won't be trespassing on any forbidden territory. I promise!" He pushed his hands together as if in prayer and held them over his head as he bowed at the waist. "Pretty, pretty please?"

He glanced up at her through his bangs, pouting slightly, and had to hide his delight at the subtle way her face softened. Lia heaved a sigh, and ran her fingers through her curly brown hair, growling as they became entangled.

" Can't you get Chumley to help you or something?"

" Can't." Syrus shook his head as Lia tried to yank her hand free. " He went home for the break, remember?"

" Are we the only people who stayed?" Lia almost shouted in exasperation, finally managing to pull her hand free, and dislodging half of her ponytail in the process. With another angry huff, she freed the rest of her hair from the scrunchie she always kept it in, and shook the curls loose around her head. They fell just over her shoulders, splashing dark stains against the bared white of the turtleneck she sported, sans yellow jacket. Instead, there was a heavy, black vest over her shoulders, zipped up to the space just under where her neck began. She ran her fingers through her unruly hair for a second or so, then gathered it all up in her one palm, using her free hand to stretch the scrunchie out. Both boys stayed silent, watching her pull the hair back and into a tight ponytail just down from the top of her head.

" Harrington stayed too." Jaden said as she finished, smoothing down the little hairs at the top of her head.

" Who?" She muttered distractedly.

" The captain of the tennis team." Syrus supplied, rolling his eyes at the thought of the older boy.

" That tennis nut who'll chase anything in a skirt?" She wrinkled her nose. " I can't stand that jackass."

" You know him?"

Lia's scowl darkened the hallway.

" He thought I was a guy."

There was a beat of stunned silence wherein both boys stared at the fuming girl with varying looks of disbelief. Then they burst into twin fits of hysterical laughter.

" That was _you_?!" Syrus squealed in between gasps for air. " I heard some Ra completely lost it and cussed a Blue out, but I didn't know…"

" You were giving him Hell, weren't you?" Jaden's grin went ear to ear.

Lia scowled at him, but kept walking, muttering darkly in French.

" I still can't believe it was you." Syrus shook his head. " I wish I coulda seen it."

" How did you meet the asshole?"

" He challenged me to a duel over Alexis." Jaden smiled at Lia's incredulous face, and locked his hands behind his head. " I won of course."

They were halfway down the hall when Jaden suddenly remembered that there was something he had wanted to ask Lia.

" You don't happen to know what fiancé means, do you?"

The sound of Lia slamming her forehead into her palm echoed through the empty hall.

**_**

Jaden spread the piece of paper, covered in scribbles, out in front of his two companions.

" I wanted to start just by waiting for this guy to come out, and then duel him, but then I realized how bad that idea was."

Both Lia and Syrus raised an eyebrow.

" It's cold out there, guys!" Jaden gestured to one of the huge bay windows on the second story of the library. " It's cold, and I don't do well in cold. I like warm. So waiting for this guy to come out in the middle of the forest at midnight was a no-go."

" Then what's all this?" Syrus gestured to the paper.

Jaden smiled, looking up and striking a thinking pose.

" After I realized how stupid it was to just _wait_ for the Duel Giant, I started wondering how I was going to catch him. I couldn't figure it out, until I asked myself, 'How would Bastian or Lia do this?'"

Lia rolled her eyes, but a pale blush dusted her cheeks.

" I thought about why this guy might want to duel only Obelisk Blues."

" To prove himself?" Syrus offered, and Jaden nodded, beginning to pace the length of the table.

" That's what I was thinking. But then I realized that in all the stories, the Duel Giant only dueled Blues. Not one Ra has been hit."

" Well, the Blues are the best in the school."

" Supposedly." Lia cut across. " But still, it's odd that this person only challenges Blues."

Jaden continued pacing.

" That got me thinking. Yes, beating a Blue is a way to be recognized, but shouldn't this person have started with the Ra's, if only just as practice?"

" You'd think so…" Lia mused. " Unless…" Her eyes widened.

" Unless what?" Syrus looked in between his friends.

" Unless the Duel Giant-"

" You think the Duel Giant is a Ra, don't you?"

" Lia! You totally stole my dramatic reveal!" Jaden pouted, glaring at her with no real heat. The girl just shrugged. " I wanted to say that."

" You see? It isn't much fun being interrupted, is it?"

" When are you going to let that go?"

" When I feel like it."

" When's that?"

" Whenever I feel like."

" Guys! The Duel Giant?" Syrus glared at them both. Lia flopped back down into her seat and Jaden coughed, trying to cover up his momentary lapse of attention.

" Yeah, that's what I think."

" But couldn't a Red go after a Blue as well? That would make a sensation." Syrus tapped his finger to his chin.

" What Red has that kind of confidence?" Jaden asked. Both people seated at the table looked up at him. " _Besides_ me."

" It's still a possibility, no matter how unlikely." Lia sighed.

" That's when I stumbled onto another train of though." Jaden walked over to the desk, and pointed down to the paper, in a wrinkled corner where the word '**REVENGE**' was bolded and underlined with a black pen.

" Maybe someone's doing this to get back at the Blues."

Both Lia and Syrus exchanged glances over the paper, musing the concept over in the privacy of their own thoughts. As his two friends pondered the theory he had presented, Jaden felt a brush on his cheek, and glanced over to see Winged Kuriboh nuzzling the side of his face, as if trying to comfort him.

' _It's okay, buddy. We'll catch this guy_.' He reached up and stroked the little spirit, smiling softly as the monster leaned into his fingers. When he looked back to the table, both Lia and Syrus were looking at his as if he'd sprouted another head.

" Kuriboh." He explained with a shrug. " I wish you guys could see him. It would make things a lot easier."

" I can't tell he's there." Syrus shook his head, looking mournfully over at Lia, expecting a second denial. But Lia was staring intensely at Jaden's left shoulder, squinting hard, as if trying to make out something at a great distance.

" There's…" She muttered, screwing her eyes up until they were almost closed. " I think…there's this sort of…_outline_…and kind of a…distortion of colours…over your shoulder…I think…I may just be seeing things." She sat back in her chair. " Anyway, it's a good motive, but you have to remember that the Blues are assholes. _Anyone_ of a lower rank would love to get revenge on them. It doesn't narrow our list of suspects down by very much.

" Still, you put a lot of thought into this." She smiled up at him. " You're getting much better at thinking things through."

Lia reached down into her pocket and pulled out a pen, flipping the paper over.

" Let's try working on it together, shall we?"

**_**

Syrus glared after the group of Obelisk Blues as they walked down the hallway, leaving two emotionally injured Ra students in their wake.

A year ago, maybe even a month ago, he wouldn't have dared to raise his eyes from the floor as the blue-clad students strutted past in a confidence their house allotted that bordered on arrogance. He would never have looked them dead in the eye, scowl on his face and his eyebrows knitted together in disapproval. But four months going on five at Duel Academy, being around people like Jaden and Chumley and Alexis and even Lia, had finally given Syrus the courage to stop looking at the floor and raise his head up, even if it was only the tiniest bit. And the fact that his new friends seemed to keep Zane at bay gave that tiny courage time to take root and flower, until, as he'd wished Zane goodbye at the docks three days previously, Syrus had found himself looking directing into his big brother's eyes, smiling, and not even flinching at Zane's cold dismissal.

" _Try not to get beaten too bad while I'm away."_

" _Yeah, I know how much you like to be there to cheer on my opponent." Syrus kept smiling, but there was a hint of insincerity in it that he hoped Zane heard._

_If the twitch in his brother's eyebrow was anything to go by, Syrus would say Zane had caught the ice in his tone perfectly._

" _Relax Zane." Syrus shrugged. " I'll be fine. I've got Jay and Lia watching my back. And if Jay can't duel the problem away, then I'm sure Lia can beat it up." The blue-haired boy eyed the way Zane rested the strap of his duffle back on his left shoulder, instead of on the customary right. " You know that."_

" _Have a good break." Zane stared at him, but Syrus just grinned in a way that didn't reach his eyes, and turned around to head back to the dorms, raising up his right hand and waving it._

" _I will. Later."_

_It wasn't until he heard the blare of the ship's horn that Syrus realized it was the first time __**he**__ had ever walked away from a confrontation with his brother._

So Syrus kept his head up and stuck his chin out and glared at the passing Obelisks with silver eyes over the rim of his glasses. And off to his right, he heard Lia huff.

"Pourquoi vous laissez-les vous parler aiment cela?" She hissed.

A slow, rumbling voice answered her.

" Qu'est-ce que voulez-vous que je fasse?"

" Dites-leur de se casser!"

" Vous savez que je ne peux pas faire cela."

" Je ne vois pas pourquoi pas."

" Je ne suis pas vous, Lia." The voice sighed mournfully. " Je n'ai pas votre feu."

"Vous êtes un lâche." Lia said but Syrus couldn't hear any heat in her tone.

"C'est meilleur d'être un lâche vivant qu'un héros mort."

"Vous dit."

" Beauregard!" The shorter boy with dark green hair stamped his foot on the metal floor. " You know I can't understand when you start talking in French!"

" Sorry, Brier." The great hulking Ra smiled down at the half scowling, half pouting boy. " But I don't get to speak French much because no one really speaks it here."

Lia rolled her eyes.

" Honestly, you two should stand up for yourselves more."

" We can't all be the Bitch of Ra Yellow!" Brier shot back at her, fists clenched and eyes sparking as he looked up at Lia. The girl blinked, and barely even registered his insult, flicking a strand of hair behind her shoulder.

" If that's the best you can do, then si vous plait, take a seat, amateur."

" Both of you…" Beauregard tried to break in, but both Ra's glared at each other, little jolts of lightening zapping in between them.

" I'm guessing they don't get along." Jaden whispered to Syrus, who had taken a step back from the proceedings. He may have discovered a well of courage and dignity within him, but Syrus knew better then to get into a fight like this. Jaden, as it appeared, did not.

" Hey Brier!" He called cheerfully, brushing past his shorter housemate to walk over to where the three Ra's stood. Beauregard looked up gratefully, from where he was shuffling away slowly from the confrontation. Lia spared her friend a passing glance before she went back to glaring at Brier, who was staring at Jaden as though he'd popped into existence right out of thin air.

" Who're you?" He asked tactlessly, looking the boy up and down. While the read jacket was a dead give away as a Slifer, something about the boy's chipper attitude and big smile set Brier on edge.

" Jaden Yuki." He bowed in a distinctly Asian manner. " Pleased to meet you. I was watching your duel, and I gotta say bro, except for that little fumble at the end, you had one sweet game going!"

Brier looked up at him, incredulous.

" But… I lost."

Jaden shrugged.

" So? Everybody does that once in a while. You just gotta learn to have a little confidence in yourself. Like Sy did!" Jaden gestured to where the smaller boy had moved over to stand beside Lia, shooting questioning glances between Brier and Beauregard. Lia was whispering rapidly in his ear, and Syrus nodded along with her.

" I don't know who you are-" Brier began, puffing his chest on indignantly, but Jaden cut him off.

" Didn't you hear?" He kept on smiling, even as Brier's face went red with anger. " My name's Jaden Yuki!"

" I don't care who you are!" Brier snarled, poking his finger into Jaden's chest. " I don't need some no-name, slacker-punk from Slifer trying to give me dueling advice! It's none of your business, so butt out, you hear me, jackass?!"

" Once again, Brier, you managed to show all the social grace of a diseased farm animal." Lia said coolly.

" Oh, like you're one to talk." The short boy growled at her.

" At least I know how to behave myself when in polite company."

" Quit bringing that up!"

" Then apologize to my friend."

" I'm not apologizing to a _Slifer_."

" He could beat you."

" All that time you spend slumming at the Slacker Dorm has addled your brains, Shanner." Brier stated darkly, and reached over to grab the wrist of his large companion. " C'mon Beauregard, we're leaving."

" Uh…" Beauregard threw an apologetic glance at Jaden, Syrus, and Lia. " Okay, sure Brier."

The two started off down the hall, but Jaden's shout froze them mid-step.

" Twelve o'clock in the clearing by the Yellow Dorm, okay?"

He grinned.

" I wanna see the Duel Giant in action!"

" Fuck off!" Brier screamed, his face red, and tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. " Just fuck off and don't ever talk to me again!"

With a sharp tug, he yanked Beauregard around the corner and out of sight.

" Jaden, didn't you hear me before?" Lia asked, looking at Jaden with one eyebrow frowning and the other grazing her hairline. " I said that Beauregard couldn't duel. He wants to design games, not play them."

" Yeah, Jay, he can't duel worth shit."

" I know that." Jaden kept staring after the two Ra's.

" So Beauregard can't be the Duel Giant." Syrus said.

" He's the giant all right."

" But he can't duel."

" He can't." Jaden agreed, and Syrus looked ready to start pulling his hair out. Lia shook her head, and began to pinch the bridge of her nose, trying to ward off a headache. Jaden kept smiling.

" But _Brier_ can."

* * *

Hey, MoS here, with your update! I'm on time this week! Everybody congradulate me! (I'm joking. I know how awful I am when it comes to updates.)

So, how's about some translations?

"Pourquoi vous laissez-les vous parler aiment cela?" - Why do you let them talk to you like that?

" Qu'est-ce que voulez-vous que je fasse?" - Want do you want me to do?

" Dites-leur de se casser!"- Tell them to fuck off!

" Vous savez que je ne peux pas faire cela." - You know I can't do that.

" Je ne vois pas pourquoi pas." - I don't see why not.

" Je ne suis pas vous, Lia." " Je n'ai pas votre feu." - I'm not you, Lia. I don't have your fire.

"Vous êtes un lâche." - You're a coward.

"C'est meilleur d'être un lâche vivant qu'un héros mort." - Better a live coward than a dead hero.

"Vous dit."- Says you.

Beauregard is French - I need another francophone character. I just do. And Beauregard's name just fit the bill perfectly.

A faint outline, a distortion of colours - This is IMPORTANT. Pay attention to this. Also, Jaden let it go because he has other stuff on his mind, and the attention span of a chipmunk.

Jaden: I do NOT- Hey, a Duel Monster's card.

I rest my case. That reminds me, you haven't seen my plot folder floating around, have you?

Jaden: (suddenly nervous) Wh-wh-what folder? I haven't seen any folder! There was NEVER a folder! It was all a lie!

...You know something, don't you?

Jaden: Who, me? Nope, don't know anything. I know nothing. Never knew anything in my life.

Jaden, come here for a minute.

Jaden: Gee, you know I'd love to, but I just remember that I have to go and... uh...um...Bye! (Runs off)

Get back here! (chases after)

MoS


	21. The Holidays

Warnings: A bit of implication when it comes to Chazz, speculations on Chumley, and a whole lot of grovelling and begging at the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" This has got to be the _stupidest _thing you've ever come up with!"

" _No_, the stupidest thing I ever came up with was when I tried to make pepper juice."

" This tops tha-Wait, _pepper_ juice?"

" I liked yellow peppers as a kid, alright?"

" _Pepper juice_?"

" I stuck a whole bunch of peppers in the blender, and then hit, uh…what's the word…oh yeah! _Liquefy_!"

" I bet that ended well."

" It wouldn't have been half as bad if I hadn't tried to add ground pepper in."

" How did that-?"

" While the blender was still going."

" …You were one messed up kid, you know that Jay?"

" Shut up! I was four! It seemed like a good idea at the time!"

" Weren't your parents pissed?"

" They never found out. I cleaned it all up before the baby-sitter came that afternoon, and he never knew."

" Baby-sitter?"

" My parents weren't around much when I was growing up. I sorta had to raise myself, ya know?"

" Yes, and we can all see how well _that_ turned out."

" Lia!" Jaden called in delight, looking up at the girl. She stood with her hands on her hips, one eyebrow raised in surprise at the warmth in his tone. He darted forward, arms outstretched as if to embrace her, but one icy glare had him backing down, awkwardly letting his hands drop to his sides. From behind him, Syrus let his own head drop into his hands and shook it back and forth.

" You're more hyper than usual." The smaller boy said. " This can't be good."

" I'm just so psyched to see Lia." Jaden grinned innocently up at the Ra girl. " It feels like forever since we last hung out."

" We were together two nights ago. Remember? You dragged us out to that stupid match with Beauregard and the whiny imp-"

Syrus snorted.

" – in the freezing cold." Lia eyed him darkly. " So don't go acting cutesy with me, got it?"

" But, Koneko-_chaaaaaaan_!" Jaden whined, even as the girl reached out to flick him in the forehead. He yelped and jumped backwards, stumbling over his own still moving feet and falling into a heap at Syrus' feet.

" Jaden, you're really…wow Jay. Just wow."

Muttering under her breath, Lia glanced over at the smaller boy.

" Did you two need something, or did 'Annoy Lia Hour' sneak up on me again today?"

" You wanna get a sandwich with us?"

Syrus gave the blank face Lia presented him with a nervous, but rather adorable grin, shuffling his feet together and rubbing the back of his head.

" It's just…we hang out and all…but we…" Syrus stuttered again, throwing desperate glances around as though the walls would yield to him the best way to phrase his thoughts.

" …We don't really…_eat_ together. Like, you know…have lunch…and stuff…and…"

" If this is about that stupid sandwich thief, I'm so beyond not interested I got whiplash as we passed it."

Syrus deflated as Lia's flat tone cut over both of the boys. She crossed her arms over her chest (covered by a green turtleneck, with a Duel Academy brooch pinned on the well hidden swell of her right breast) and glared at them. Jaden hauled himself off the ground, where he had been silently encouraging Syrus' attempt to wheedle Lia into yet another scheme. Rubbing the back of his head, the Slifer cast in his lot.

" Huh?" It might not have been the best conversation starter, but it got her eyes focused on him, even if they did roll in the process.

" No, Jaden."

" Come on!"

" No."

" Pretty please?"

" No way."

" Pretty please with sugar on top?"

" No amount of begging will get me to agree."

" What if I threatened to make you miserable once school starts up again?"

" Chéri, you do that now, and it's the holidays."

" Oh, ouch!"

" Not helping Sy. C'mon Lia, we need a third musketeer!"

" You've never even read that book."

" There's a book?"

" My point exactly."

" Hey, wait up!" Jaden scurried after her, plaintive look on his face. " At least tell me why not."

" This sort of thing doesn't interest me." Lia muttered. " I have a few projects to work on, and I'd rather not spend Boxing Day in a dark storage room, waiting for some freak who's just stupid enough to steal some egg salad sandwiches."

" Egg-wich!"

" Whatever. Not my thing. Have fun though."

Lia broke away, fingering the strap of her bag as Jaden pouted after her, shouting something about how they would, and she'd be jealous that she'd missed out on such a good time. Despite herself, Lia let a small smile flicker up onto her face as she turned the corner. Sometimes, the boys were too adventurous for their own good, and with only her there to curb their enthusiasm, she found herself sleeping very soundly at night. Lia reached up and brushed aside the pesky lock of hair, her other hand slipping into her bag and curling around the sturdy, familiar form of her camera.

She pulled the back object out, holding up at the window across the hall and looking through it at the white-topped trees and soft-fringed roofs of the other buildings. Disregarding the fact that they were on a tropical island, and snow was about as common place as pine trees (but they had _those_ too, and while Lia was a curious girl, something told her to leave well enough alone, and not question the local flora or fauna, and most especially not to make a comment on the _highly_ unusual climate her school seemed to have), the scene looked vaguely like something out of an old-fashioned Christmas card, with white tipped pine still green against the vivid blue sky, and a bright red sleigh being drawn merrily down a woodsy path by a bell laden horse as the first snowflakes began to fall. And while there was no horse or sleight, there _was_ an outdoor skating rink, and the few students who had opted to stay for the holidays were flitting around on it, tumbling and slipping in a flash of brightly coloured, puffed out snow jackets, skates flashing silver in the lights above. With a slight grin, Lia held the camera to her eyes, positioned it, and pressed down on the button, the familiar click of the shutters and flash of light oddly comforting to her in her solitude.

" You really _are_ such a creeper."

And her good mood dissipated like a bubble prodded too hard by a finger.

Masking her slight jolt of surprise with an irritated look, Lia glanced back over her shoulder, feigning disinterest in the figure that stood on the very edge of her vision. She let her eyebrows knit together and a frown to curl her lips, but gave no other indications that her unexpected company had any affect on her. Mentally, she congratulated herself on forcing down the shiver that had threatened to slide down her back at the sound of his voice.

" Did you need something?" She threw causally over her shoulder, gripping her camera against her stomach, where he couldn't see it. The figure gave a shrug that seemed more like a convulsion that a movement, and Lia kept her eyes focused on the twirling skaters, her shoulders pulsing with a phantom ache.

" From you? Never." The sneer was evident, but Lia kept staring straight ahead, forcing her mind to acknowledge the way one figure on the rink spun in a perfect circle, leaving a thin trail behind their skate.

" If you don't need anything, then please leave." She said curtly. " You're disrupting the atmosphere."

" '_Please_?' Did I just seriously hear you say the word _please_?" He mocked, but she refused to rise to the bait. " You're actually being polite?"

Gritting her teeth, Lia stared down as the figure twirled backwards, leaning their weight forward as they prepared to jump from the ice.

" Will wonders never cease? The sky may even fall down today."

The skater leapt high into the frosty air, spinning in between the snowflakes, pressing long legs together. It was probably a girl, Lia mused, since there was the hint of curves under the heavy jacket.

" Not looking at me won't make me go away." He said in a singsong voice, and this time, the shiver escaped her grasp and slipped down her back. Flushing with shame, because she knew he'd seen it, Lia steeled herself before she spoke.

" There are so many things that are much more interesting to look at." The corner of the camera dug into her gut, and she tried not to notice that her knuckles were white. " Why would I want to waste my time on _you_?"

She said the word like it was insult, but the air around them did not shift. If anything, the feeling around him, the too-happy state only seemed to deepen, and a single drop of sweat trailed down her neck, despite the chill of the cold glass gleaming in front of her face.

And then his mouth was next to her ear, breathing against her neck in hard, panting puffs, and Lia did jump this time. A hand reached out and curled over her shoulder in mock gentleness, fingers ghosting over the fabric of her green turtleneck, and just barely brushing at her hair. Instinctively, Lia knew that the grasp would only be soft so long as she didn't pull away. The shiver erupted into a full-blown tremour that wracked her entire body for a split second before she gulped and fought down the urge to whimper.

" Do I make you nervous?"

She whipped around, bringing her hand up to shove him off. But pale fingers closed around her wrist and she was yanked forward, stumbling over her own to feet. A pair of unfocused grey eyes stared back into hers, and the thin lips set into the face that loomed over her pulled themselves back in a sneer.

Though she didn't see it, far below them, the figure landed precariously on one skate, and then tumbled to the ice.

**_**

There was, Chumley had long ago decided, nothing quite like New Year's Eve at the Huffington household.

While Christmas was generally the time for family and camaraderie for most of the world, the Huffington clan found itself to be far too busy around the holidays (jobs and the demands of maintaining a clean and livable home environment usually kept them elsewhere) to really be able to meet up over Christmas. At best, many of them tended to arrive at the designated house around Boxing Day, if they were lucky. As such, it had long ago been decreed (by some abstract, nameless family figure) that the holiday of Christmas should be spent and celebrated with the immediate family. The huge family get together (held at the different houses of the eight first cousins that alternated year by year) would take place on New Year's, and bleed over to the end of the Christmas Break.

It was a good arrangement, Chumley had always thought, nibbling on one of his aunt's huge chocolate chip cookies and wandering around his Uncle Phillip's house. The building itself wasn't nearly enough to hold the twenty-five and plus people who flooded to the event every year, but many of the children were fine with being crammed into the glassed-in porch at the back, looking over the ravine, and there was always the huge family room, with the reclining chair his father usually claimed after dinner.

" Chum-ie" A soft voice whispered from behind a corner. Chumley turned, cookie still in hand, and smiled down at the mop of dark brown hair that peeked out.

" Hey kiddo. How're you?" He smiled gently, hunkering down into a crouch so he could be on eye level with the child. A pair of big blue eyes looked into his, and a small index finger wormed its way into the little mouth.

" Chum-ie." The child said again. " Mummy said…she said you gonna…gonna…fl…" The blue eyes narrowed as the mouth tried to form the word around the finger protruding from it. " …fl…_flunk_ outta you' school."

Chumley blinked as the child shook her head back and forth, tears gathering in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks.

" I dun…I dun want you t'…_flunk_ Chum-ie!" She wailed, flinging herself at his bulk. Even muffled by his clothes, Chumley could hear the telltale sniffles emanating from his little cousin.

" Marie." He encircled the crying bundle with large, but gentle hands. " Marie." The mop of brown only buried deeper into his ample stomach. " Marie-Anne." With great hesitation, the little head tilted back up, and Chumley smiled reassuringly into the red-rimmed, swimming baby blues."

" 'M not gonna fail. I'm doing much better in school now." Chumley smiled lovingly down at the girl, hauling her up to sit in his lap as her sniffles died down.

" Re-really?" She hiccupped, and Chumley let his head fall back as he let out a warm, full bout of laughter. " Not…Not gunna…_flunk_?"

" No way!" He shook his head, grinning. " My friends won't let me. They'd find a way for me to re-take all my tests if they had to." An image of Jaden's bright grin, Syrus' soft eyes, Alexis' little half-smile, and Lia's eyes rolling fondly flickered in his head.

" They won't ever let me fail." He murmured to himself. If Marie-Anne noticed her cousin's far away gaze, she said nothing; only stared up in wonder at the gentle giant who she loved so much.

" You…You not gunna…_flunk_…?" She asked haltingly, scrunching up her nose at the distasteful word.

" Not a chance."

" Yay!" The girl threw her arms around her cousin, short arms barely reaching to his sides. " Chum-ie's not gunna flunk! Chum-ie's not gunna flunk!"

" Marie-Anne!"

The reprimanding voice accompanied by the click of heels on the tiled floor alerted both cousins to the approaching woman. From over Marie-Anne's brown head, Chumley saw a pair of attractive burgundy heels, into which a pair of shimmery nylon encased legs (not huge, exactly, but thick enough not to be considered skinny) disappeared. Just above the knee of the legs fell the hem of a red skirt (a shade or so lighter than the shoes) that pinched in at a thickened waist, and at the hips of which two hands rested on either side, balled into disapproving fists. A crisp, white, boat-necked top was tucked into the skirt, and slid up over a loose bosom, and ended just as a sparkling silver chain touched it. Resting on the neck that chain dangled from was the slightly wrinkled, stern face of his Aunt Diane.

" There you are!" The woman (whose own hair was darker than her daughter's, but lighter than Chumley's own) swooped down and gathered a surprised Marie-Anne into her arms. " I've been looking all over for you! Didn't Mommy tell you dinner was ready and to stay put?" The woman shook her head, the neat bun at the top of it bouncing with each punctuation. " It's a wonder you haven't wandered off into the woods. God help us if you ever get it into your head that you want to see the world."

Marie-Anne only beamed at her mother's scolding, too delighted in her recent revelation to really be hurt by the words.

" Mummy! Mummy! Guess what!" She wriggled in her mother's arms.

" What is it?" The woman indulged.

" Chum-ie ain't gunna _flunk_!" Marie-Anne through her arms into the air and smiled brilliantly at her mother's skeptical face.

" Isn't, darling." Diane corrected. " There's no such word as 'ain't'. Right Chauncey?"

Chumley flinched mid movement, as he pulled himself up off the kitchen floor.

" It's Chumley, Aunt Di."

" Well, it says Chauncey on your birth certificate. I know, I was there." His aunt sniffed, and started walking towards the dining room. " It was your great-great-grandfather's name, I don't see why you insist on going by-"

" You know Marie can't pronounce Chauncey." Chumley nodded his head at the still grinning toddler. " Chumley is just easier."

" But she doesn't even pronounce _that_ correctly." Diane's shoulders sagged. Chumley laughed, despite himself.

" She's _three and a half_. She's got plenty of time to get the sounds right."

" Still, it's your name and-"

" You won't win this argument, Aunt Di."

" You and your nicknames. I swear, they are getting worse all the time."

" Well, Jaden is Jay and Syrus is Sy, and Alexis is Lex or Lexi, and I think Lia is already short for something…"

" Who are these people?"

In the face of his aunt's surprised incredulity, Chumley found that keeping the full-blown beam off of his face was completely impossible.

" They're my friends."

His aunt's face softened.

" Are they nice people?" She asked, adjusting Marie-Anne's weight on her hip.

As they sat down for dinner at the only two available seats left, Chumley found that keeping from going into detail about his friends' many shining qualities was also completely impossible.

**_**

After dinner (a huge turkey, smothered in gravy and bursting with stuffing), the Huffington clan retreated to the family room, sinking into the comfy armchairs and sofas with a sense of finally-achieved peace. On the fuzzy blue rug that spanned the entirety of the room, the younger children lay down fully, some of the older ones chatting, and the younger ones playing with the toys they'd received at Christmas. Chumley leaned against his mother's legs on the couch, Marie-Anne clutching her stuffed rabbit in his lap.

" Hey Josh." Chumley called lazily over to his ten-year-old cousin. " How's the game coming?"

" Yeah." The boy muttered distractedly, staring at the TV screen, controller clutched in a vice grip.

" Josh." His father, Uncle Carl, said in a stern, British tinged voice.

" Yeah." Was the only response.

" Geez Josh, don't answer so quickly." His sister rolled her brown eyes. " We can't keep up."

" Samantha, don't pick on your brother." Aunt Dorothy said calmly from over her book. " And Josh, darling, try to answer your cousin in more than one syllable."

" Okay."

" Don't even bother, Chum." Uncle Carl shook his balding head. " He's gone."

" Oh, let the kid have his fun!" Chumley's father piped up from where he was draped on the reclining chair. " Growing up, you and I never had stuff like that!" He indicated the screen. " Loosen up Carl."

" Dear." His mother said warningly. " Remember what you promised about the eggnog."

His father opened his mouth to make a retort, but one pleading look from Chumley had him snapping his jaw shut, lowering his eyes in slight embarrassment.

" I've only had about two, I promise." He grinned at his wife. " And they were fantastic as usually, honey."

His mother relaxed.

" Well, it _is_ your mother's recipe. She could make dishwater taste like it was fit for a king."

" God bless her busy old soul." Aunt Diane whispered, putting a hand over her heart. " At least we have the memories."

" Still," Uncle Jason said, " she was 91. Not a bad age. And she was spry, right up to the end."

" And such a cook."

" Your turkey was marvelous, Diane, but Grandma Evie's was always something else."

" I'll take that as a complement. I'll never be my mother, but I learned all I could from her."

" We all did. Lord, I miss her."

" Grandma Evelyn was one of a kind, that's for sure."

" You remember Grandma Evie, don't you Marie-Anne?" Phillip asked his daughter. " You know, the nice lady with the white hair?"

" G'illed cheese?" Marie-Anne questioned tiredly. The adults laughed.

" Trust her to remember Grandma Evie's specialty."

" Oh, she's a Huffington alright."

" No doubt about it. 'A Huffington sense of taste is their sense of family', I always say. You can know anyone by the food they cook, and you accept them as family."

" I'm a Ritcher."

The company burst out laughing.

" For Ritcher or poorer, we're happy to have you, Tyler, Meredith, and the crew!"

" That joke is so old, Dad."

" Samantha, why don't you go and find Andrea."

" She's probably by the fridge, stuffing herself."

" Don't talk about your sister like that. You know, you could do to eat more. You usually only have one helping at dinner."

" Mom, I'm on a diet."

" A Huffington on a diet?"

" Now that's not right!"

" Samantha darling, you need to eat more."

" You're skin and bones, Sammie!"

" You've got the Huffington genes! You need to tuck in when you sit down to a meal!"

" Sam," Chumley said softly, seeing that his blonde cousin (born a brunette) was going red in the face, " you don't need to diet. You're beautiful."

Samantha looked over at him, and smiled at his sincere, if unsure, face.

" Thanks Chum." She blinked. " Oh yeah! There was a letter for you in the mail today. I think it was from…Duel Academy?"

" From school?" Chumley asked, surprised. He moved a sleeping baby cousin off his lap and into her mother's waiting arms. " Anywhere specific at school?"

" Um…your dorm I think…" Samantha bit her lip. " The name on it said…hang on, it was kinda a weird name…"

" Must be one of the guys." Chumley shook his head as he got up. " They all have weird names. It's in the front hall, right?"

" On the round table with the lamp, yeah."

**_**

Later, as he curled up in the covers of the pull out couch, next to a dosing Andrea and facing away from a still gaming Josh, Chumley unfolded the letter.

_Hey Chum!_

" Now I know it's one of the guys." Chumley murmured.

_It's Syrus. Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year if this doesn't reach you 'til then. Things have been pretty quiet…well no, not __**quiet**__ exactly, but it's been…less hectic…no, that's not right either…oh, hell, it's been just as crazy and sleepless as it always is. Jaden somehow got it into his head that he wanted to catch the Duel Giant. You know, that really big guy that's been going after the Obelisks from three weeks now? Well, since I'm sure you know Jaden as well as I do, you know that we not only __**found**__ the guy, but Jaden dueled him too. And refused to turn him in. __**And**__ made him give back all the cards and the jackets. __**And**__ has been inviting him over to the Slifer Dorm for dinner and card strategies every night. Lia and Brier have something of an agreement: They sit in opposite corners of the room, and pretend the other one doesn't exist. You'd think Lia would stop coming if she didn't like the company we keep, but I think she wants to let Brier know that she was there first. It's pretty childish, but it kinda makes me happy. It shows that we actually mean something to her, you know? I'm pretty sure Jaden feels the same way, 'cause he keeps looking over at the corner where she sits and smiling._

_Lia wants to thank you for her Christmas gift. She's been reading it nonstop since it arrived. I don't think I've seen her without it in days. Jaden loved the new deck holder by the way. He took out his cards, restacked them, and then put them in and started raving about how comfy it was. …Seriously, he hasn't shut up about it yet._

_Oh, and thanks for the you-know-what (winkwink) I'll put it to good use, I promise._

_So, where was I before I went off on this tangent? (Lia gave us a reading list. She actually went out, picked out a bunch of book titles, typed them all out, and gave us each a list. A __**different**__ list each. She must be so bored at night. She __**says**__ it's because she wants to help us 'broaden our horizons'. Jaden thinks she and Alexis are plotting to make our lives miserable, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that Crowler paid her off to torture us over the break since he was going home for Christmas. Yeah, Crowler's got family to spend Christmas with. There are more of them. …I haven't been this scared since Zane made me stay up and watch the horror movie marathon that Halloween when I was eight. …What was I talking about again?) Oh yeah, the Duel Giant._

_Long story there Chumley. And I want to have something to talk to you about when you get back from vacation. (Other than Operation…well I don't have a name yet) So I guess I'll just give you a summary._

_Okay, there was a Duel Giant, and Jaden wanted to challenge him, so Jaden told Beauregard to meet him by the Yellow Dorm, so we went there. Lia said it was stupid, and then the Giant showed up, and Jaden __**totally**__ called him out. And it was Beauregard, who can't duel, taking orders from that Ra Brier, you know the one, the guy with stage fright? And then some stuff happened, people yelled, hurtful things were said, Brier slapped Lia, Lia threw a book at Brier, Brier got a black eye, Jaden had to break them up…Lia's a bit of a brawler when you get down to it, isn't she? Anyway, Jaden dueled, beat the team, and now they hang out with us. _

…

_How was __**your**__ Christmas?_

_And then, as if that wasn't enough, guess what Jaden decides to do on Boxing Day? Eat leftover turkey? Help me re-structure my deck? Sneak into Lia's room early in the morning, drag her bodily out of bed, and toss her into a snowdrift (revenge for the reading list!)? No._

_He wants to catch the sandwich thief._

_So where does that leave Jaden and lovable little Syrus? (Because Lia managed to get out of it by glaring at him darkly.)_

_Up at midnight, staked out in the cafeteria. We caught the guy, but still. I swear, the eggwich is to Jaden what grilled cheese is to you, Chum._

" I somehow doubt that." Chumley murmured, reminded suddenly of silvery hair done up in curls and a spoon smacking his hands away from the still cooling cookies on the rack.

_Anyway, this brings me to what I really wanted to talk to you about. I can't really talk about with Jaden, 'cause he keeps acting like it didn't happen. I'm not saying he's avoiding the issue, but I don't think he's handling as well as he could be. He's doing it for Lia's sake, I know that much. And Lia isn't helping much, seeing as how she won't acknowledge that anything even happened._

_Hang on, and let me get my thoughts together._

_Okay, so we – Jaden and I – had just left Lia to go and ask Ms. Dorothy about the thief. We were just turning the corner to head to the card shop when we heard Lia from down the hall. She sounded mad (I mean, she sounds like that a lot, but this was different. Like, not mad mad, but, scared mad. That thing that you do when you're freaked out and you make like you're pissed to cover it up? That's what she sounded like), so Jaden gave me this look, and he turned back around. I went after, because, you never know, something might have happened. We got about half way back to where we'd left her, when Lia shouted again, and this time, you could really hear that she was scared. She was trying to cover it up, but her voice was sorta shaky and trembling. At this point, Jaden and I started running, because we still couldn't see her. (You know how the hallway curves.) So we were running down the hall, and it takes a sharp curve, and we come 'round it, and guess what we see?_

_It's Chazz, he looks pissed, and he's basically got Lia pinned up against the wall. He's got her wrists and her camera is on the ground and she looks terrified and I swear Chumley, I came this close to running over there and punching him._

_Of course, Chazz let go when he saw us. Sorry, I keep changing tenses. Anyway, he lets go, and I'm half expecting Lia to just sink to her knees or something. Well, she leans pretty hard on the wall, but she shuffles away from him and grabs her camera. Chazz gives her this look, like he's actually considering doing something while the two of us are standing there, and Jaden talks._

" _Lia, get over here." He says, and Chumley, I couldn't see his face, but I have never heard him so pissed. Lia holds her camera and comes running over. Jaden just keeps looking at Chazz, and then he says,_

" _Sy, take Lia back to the Slifer Dorm, and get her some tea or something."_

_So I grabbed Lia's hand and ran. I don't know what Jaden did, but when I saw him later, he was all grim looking and upset. We ended up going to Lia's dorm, and we had something to eat from the Ra cafeteria. It was brought up to her room._

_Chum, her sleeves were all messed up and the front by the neck was wrinkled. She was shaking. She hid it pretty well, but I could tell. I had to wait in the main room while she changed, but she seemed real eager to get out of those clothes. She hasn't worn that turtleneck since. I don't think Chazz managed to do anything before we got there, but he must have done enough to freak her out. I know they've never seen eye-to-eye, but I always thought that Chazz hated Jaden the most. Wonder why he went after Lia._

_Anyway, I just wanted you to know about this, so that when you come back, you won't be freaked out about how Jaden keeps hovering over Lia. We've all decided to keep this from Alexis, since she would just freak out, and we're debating about telling Bastian. I don't think Lia wants him to know, but he's in her dorm, and he can look out for her when we can't._

_I'll send you another letter soon, and I'm sorry that I had to dampen your holidays._

_See you after the break,_

_Syrus._

**_**

As disturbing at the contents of the letter had been, it wasn't nearly as disturbing at that of the quickly scribbled note that arrived two days later.

_Chum,_

_I just saw Chazz. He's got a monster black eye. I think Jaden might have given it to him._

_I think we might just have a problem on our hands._

_Syrus._

_

* * *

_

Okay, I owe you all a long explanation. And here it goes. Last week of May, I went to Europe for about 10 days, and the week before was spent packing and getting everything arranged - camera, money, making sure I could bring what I wanted to, getting my passport etc. After the ten days were up, I had a ton of school work to catch up on, because really, when was I gonna have time to answer questions on _Wuthering Heights_ when I was wandering around Rome in 40 degree weather (that's Celcius, people, with no shade)? So, that bled into teh week after I got back. And once I had caught up, I had my cumulatives (worth about 10-20% of my final grade) in Philosophy, French, and Spanish. And at the end of the first week in June, I had my prom (which was awesome). The projects took up the next week or so, and then starting on the 15th, we had our semester two exams. I just finished on the 23rd, and spent the rest of the week going through all the crap I've accumulated voer four years, and sorting out what goes into recycling, what I'm keeping to help me next year, and what I'm giving to my friend in grade 10 so she can use the notes to get ahead in class. But, at long last, I'm done. Period. No more high school. Yeah, I've gotta come back in the fall for commencement, but I'm DONE! And that means I'll ahve more time for writing, and that means that I'll probably be doen with Year One soon, and right now I'm begging you all for forgiveness for my impromptu hiatus.

PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!! I'M SORRY!!!!!

That being said, I intend to upload about 5 or so chapters today, and try and do a little interlude with the cast.

Now, how's aboput some translations?

Annoy Lia Hour: Both Jaden and Syrus have it marked on little post-it notes all over there room. 'Annoy Lia Hour' is their favourite time of day.

Chazz and Lia: It's sorta implied here that Chazz isn't all there at the time, and really,? Their tensiuon just writes itself. But have no fear. Ther is no Mary-Sue-ishness going on here. Chazz and Lia? No love lsot between those two.

Marie-Anne - Can I jsurt say that I love this girl? She's so cute!

Chauncey - Because I don't think that Chumley sounds like any name I've ever heard, and teh closest thing I could find was Chauncey, so I figured hey? Why not give Chumley a fancy, high class name taht he never uses, and a cute little cousin who gave him a nickname taht he uses more often? And throw in a somewhat snooty, but well meaning aunt, and we've got an awesome family! Long live the Huffingtons!

Brier and beauregard - You will find out what happend with them later, I promise.

Chazz and Jaden - Things are coming to a head. And also, Jaden and Lia's relationship is a little...complicated. It's more than just flat out 'he likes her she likes him'. There's something deeper than just a romantic relationship going on.

And I will see you again later today!

Now where did that little bugger get off to with my folder? (walks off)

Jaden: (peeks head out) Oh thank GOD! I thought she was never going to lea-

There you are!

Jaden: (runs away) CRAP!

Get back here! (chases)

MoS


	22. The Date

Warnings: A little bit of language on Lia's part, and really, I think that's about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

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**Year One: The Academic**

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By the time Alexis called a greeting to them on the first day back from vacations, the three Slifer boys had already decided that, for her own sake, and the sake of Lia's fragile pride The Episode (as it came to be known as later) would remain a secret. Lia seemed nowhere near inclined to tell anyone besides the people who already knew. In fact, from her quick dimissals and obvious subject changing (wherever the topic happened to pop up in conversation), Syrus gathered that Lia would rather pretend that nothing had transpired, and therefore, there was absolutely _nothing_ to even tell Alexis about. And while Syrus was more than ready to argue Lia and Jaden down about how they were handling the matter, a quick, sharp glance that didn't quite cover up the plea in her eyes from Lia was usually enough to silence him.

To his massive relief, though, Beauregard, gentle soul that he was, had offered to keep an eye on the distraught girl for the next few weeks, until the shock of it all died down. At that time, he had reassured Syrus, Lia would probably be comfortable enough to talk about it. And if she was willing to, Jaden would soon follow. So the debate about whether or not telling Bastian was the correct course of action ended up being a moot point, as it was no longer required. Beauregard would watch out for Lia, and Brier, as coldly and uninterestedly as he could manage, remarked that having her all pale and shaky took all the fun out of hating her.

So life after the break started up the same as it had been for the past four months. The students came back (some older than when they had left), the classes started up again, and the card games began anew (not that they had stopped over the break. It was just that now, they were being played for marks.)

When the first few drab weeks had passed without anything that could be considered remarkable, Syrus began to wonder if things were finally started to wind down at Duel Academy. His classes were going on, steadily plowing through the material outlined on the first day. There was a test coming up in Fusion, a quiz the next week in Traps 101, and in Drama, one of three Academic classes he had taken, he had a dress rehearsal for the major project before second term report cards. All in all, the turbulent adventures he had been privy to in the first few months of school had finally settled down to the humdrum trappings of high school life, and Syrus couldn't be sure if he should enjoy it while he could, or mourn for the loss of excitement.

Still, it was with a sense of normalness that Syrus walked slowly to the Campus Card Shop after the lunch bell rang, going over the points that the teacher had hinted would be on the test in Fusion in his head. He barely noticed the gathered crowd, or the under current of electrified anticipation that coursed through the air. He was so absorbed in his reviewing, in fact, that he barely noticed where he was. Until he walked right into the wall, that is.

Yelping and tumbling backwards, Syrus reached up to rub his aching nose, praying mentally that it hadn't been damaged. Eyes watery and narrowed, the blue haired boy glared up at the offending structure, and into the smiling face of one Yuugi Moto.

" Wha?" Syrus muttered in a daze, staring unblinkingly at the poster.

" You've heard."

Syrus turned to look over his head as Bastian strode up, arms crossed, and a faint hint of a smirk on his face.

" Heard what?" Syrus pulled himself off the floor. " I've been so busy with back-to-school pop quizzes that I've barely been out of my dorm."

He jabbed a thumb at the poster behind him.

" What's this about?"

Bastian's shoulders shook as he tried (and rather failed) to contain a quick, almost condescending, bout of laughter. Syrus glared up at him through pastel bangs, but made no comment.

" It's a bit of a shock that you don't know is all." He explained as the last of his snickers died down, though that infuriating grin remained fixed on his face. " I would've thought that you and Jaden would have been the first ones in line for this sort of event."

" _What_ event?" Syrus groused. His irritation was evident in his tone.

" Yuugi's deck."

" Yuugi's-! What're you talking about, Bastian?!" His jaw hung open. " What about Yuugi's deck?!"

" Our esteemed Game King has graciously allowed his deck to go on tour." Bastian smiled. " Or at least, so says the proprietor of this school."

" Kaiba?"

" He made an announcement a few days ago. The deck will go to all the major Kaiba Corporation facilities all over the globe, but he was quite adamant that it was to come here first." The British boy shrugged. " I suppose he wanted to reward us all for scoring so high."

" What about our scores?" A distracted Syrus muttered, scanning around for a queue at which he could line up.

" We did phenomenally on our last set of exams. Our school was ranked the best facility to get an education, for dueling and _non_-dueling students." Bastian shook his head. " Really Syrus, we ought to give ourselves a pat on the back. Mr. Kaiba is quite impressed with this latest batch of scholars."

" The Academics too?"

" Yes, them too."

" So how's he gonna reward them?"

" More funding. You know how the drama department said that they couldn't put on a real play with their budget? He upped it." Syrus stiffened, a slow smile working its way onto his face. So there may be after school auditions after all. " And the music program got the okay to replace some of their equipment. Oh, and the Photography class will most likely be taking a three day excursion to one of the smaller island to get some wilderness shots. Lia was telling me about it. They just need to find another two classes to go with them."

" That's great." Syrus mumbled. " Bastian, is there somewhere I can line up to get a ticket to this?"

" Why bother?" Bastian reached into his coat. " Your ticket is right here."

He produced a small envelope that was held closed by a poinsettia sticker on the flap, with '_Syrus_' written in curvy, black pen. Syrus stared at it in shock, eyes wide behind the small frames of his glasses. He looked up at Bastian, then back at the envelope, then back at Bastian, and so on until the British boy had a sweat drop forming on the back of his head.

" Well, do you want it, or not? If you don't, I'll just ask Lia if she'd like to accompany me." He teased.

Syrus snatched the envelope out of the loose grip Bastian had it in, and proceeded to tear into it, briefly looking over the card (a picture of a lit Christmas Tree with presents of all shapes and colours gleaming under it) and the message inside (_Happy Holidays_, _Merry Christmas_, etc, etc), and stared at the small white slip of paper with the Duel Academy insignia emblazoned on it like it was the key to his eternal happiness.

" Bastian…you…" He choked.

" I couldn't think of what to get you fellows for Christmas, and this just seemed like the perfect thing." He reached into his yellow jacket again. " I have another one here for Jaden, have you seen him-"

" I'll get one for Jaden." Syrus said suddenly, the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. " You keep that other one, and take Lia to the exhibit."

Bastian seemed puzzled.

" But she doesn't even like Duel Monsters."

" She just needs to get out of her dorm more." Syrus insisted. " Besides, when was the last time you had a date?"

Bastian turned red and sputtered, but Syrus was already darting forward to where he could see Ms. Dorothy waving around a piece of white paper identical to the one he clutched in his hand.

Two minutes later, after Dimitri had challenged him and he was dueling for Jaden's ticket, all Syrus could think about was the horrors Lia was going to inflict on him when she found out he had set her up on a date with Bastian.

**_**

" I'll _kill_ him."

Mindy, who was struggling to keep up with the quick pace in her prized, standard issue Obelisk Blue heels, merely rolled her eyes and tried to retain her balance as a sharp rock put it in jeopardy.

In front of her, Lia and Jasmine cursed back and forth fluently, muttering about idiot males and their constant need to prove themselves. Lia was shivering slightly, rubbing her hands up and down the pale, exposed skin of her arms. The dark green turtleneck (sans sleeves, of course) she was sporting would have shifted in the steadily growing wind, had Mindy not been in the process of pinning it for a better fit when it had happened.

Jasmine had 'just happened to be walking by' (Mindy snorted. Jasmine's gossip senses had been tingling and the redhead was never one to doubt her instincts) when Bastian had called out to Lia in the hallway as they both made their way back to the Ra dorms. While Jasmine had not been close enough to hear the actual conversation, Bastian's sheepish gestures and Lia's bright red face were telltale give-aways.

She'd darted off to her room, and shared her latest observation with an (only mildly) interested Mindy. The second Bastian's name had come up though, her attention had honed in on the fact that, at long last, Bastian had asked out the reclusive Ra wallflower. (Mindy herself had moved her crush subject onto Syrus, then Jaden, then Zane, and then onto to several other cute boys in her own dorm). Before either of the two Obelisk girls had realized what they were planning (or really, that they were even planning the same thing. Almost), they'd rushed off to the Ra Dorms, grabbed an unsuspecting but very loudly protesting Lia, and whisked the poor, bewildered girl off to their shared room at the Blue Girls' castle.

" You can let go now." Lia had deadpanned at Mindy and Jasmine held her, feet dangling off the ground, in the doorway. " I _am_ capable of walking on my own, despite what you may have heard."

" Oh Lia!" Mindy had squealed, throwing herself on a very disturbed Ra. " Oh, oh, oh! This is so perfect! Just _perfect_!"

" Get off." Lia had said, trying to squirm out of the tight grip futilely.

" You're so cute together! I just love the way you blush around him! It's _adorable_!"

" Seriously, stop touching me."

" And it's about time too! We've all been waiting for this kind of development since, like, _forever_!"

" I'll bite you if I have to. Let. Go."

" Oh!" Mindy had gasped and pulled back, staring hopefully at Lia from an arm's length away. " You _have_ to let us pick your outfit!"

And so, the torture of Lia Shanner began.

**_**

After a quick snack in the Obelisk Mess Hall (shared with the boys) that consisted of three lobsters, a freshly tossed salad, and two helpings each of tiramisu, Mindy and Jasmine had dragged the reluctant (but slowly beginning to accept her fate) Lia back to her dorm. A quick glance at the closet had not yielded any pleasing results. Her wardrobe seemed to consist of turtlenecks and long, loose pants, coupled with a few loose T-shirts and thick sweaters, with one pair of dress pants and a silky top that was far too formal for the outing Mindy had had in mind. A further excavation managed to brighten her spirits, even if Lia had spent most of it staring in horror as Mindy plowed through the closet, throwing clothes in every possible direction.

" Not this, this is drab, no, no, that's not right, this is ugly, _this_ isn't your colour, and why do you even _own _this? Out of date, not right, wrong cut, wrong colour, wrong _size_- _Hel_lo!"

She'd emerged from her expedition holding a forest green, sleeveless turtleneck top, grinning at Lia's shocked face.

" Estelle!" The girl snarled. "Vous avez réemballé ma valise?!"

" What?"

" Nothing. My…a girl I know must have slipped it in while I wasn't looking." Lia had crossed her arms moodily. " A girl who _won't_ be getting a present from me on her birthday."

" It's perfect." Mindy had grinned. " Try it on!"

The top had fit better than she had anticipated, but Mindy was a girl teeming with confidence, and the way the top looked on Lia (tighter than most of the other tops she'd seen on the Ra girl, but still way too loose to be considered date clothes) said it still needed some work.

Twenty minutes later, they were back in the Blue Girls dorm, Jasmine reading a magazine by the window, Mindy with pins clasped in between her teeth, and Lia letting Mindy stick said pins in the fabric hanging dangerously close to her back, wondering how she somehow managed to get herself into situations like this.

" There go Zane and Alexis." Jasmine had observed boredly after about fifteen minutes.

" Out for their usual chat?" Mindy had asked, concentrating on the green material she was pulling back.

" You know, if they want to have a sordid affair, they should try to be a little more exciting. They're taking all the fun out of gossiping about them."

" They can't be having an affair." Both Blue girls had looked as Lia had spoken. " That would require Zane to care about more than just himself."

" You have a problem with our Kaiser?"

Lia had blinked at the nickname.

" I've got a problem with the way he treats his brother."

" Ah," Jasmine had nodded. " The Syrus thing. Lex has been getting on his case about that too, lately."

" Sy's a sweetheart." Mindy had added. " He doesn't deserve half of the crap he takes from everyone."

" He's getting better. He told some Blues to shove it a little while ago."

" Really?"

" Not in so many words, but you know. Something like that."

" So," Jasmine had smirked over the edge of her magazine cover, " is it true you whipped Zane in the arm with a book before the break?"

Whether or not the rumours both girls had heard were the truth would forever remain a mystery, as the door had burst open, and a young, brunette Obelisk, whose name Mindy couldn't remember for the life of her, had come bursting in.

" Did you _hear_?!" She'd panted. " That freak Dimitri stole Yuugi's deck and is using it in a duel!"

The three girls had jumped up.

" A duel? Against who?" Mindy had asked. Beside her, Lia had rubbed her temples and groaned.

" I think I can guess."

" Me too." Jasmine had rushed passed them. " Hurry up. I don't wanna miss this!"

And with that, the three had darted passed the still huffing brunette to get to the shoreline, where they could see the bright outlines of the holograms the duel disks projected.

" Ow! Merde!" Lia hissed as she was jabbed again by a wayward pin. "Ces choses ont des esprits de leurs propres! Ils essayent de me blesser!"

She reached around and yanked at them, stabbing herself in the process.

" Goupilles foutues!" She swore. Mindy, despite herself, started to chuckle.

" When we get to the duel, I'll help you out with those."

" Je les déteste." The girl muttered under her breath, but the hand at her back stopped groping around, looking for the pins. Mindy looked up from the still scowling girl to where Jasmine was leading the pack, turning sharply on a corner and swinging around the rock. The redhead, Mindy noticed, had been smart enough to pull on her sneakers before running out the door. And Lia was in her comfortable running shoes, having no trouble scrambling up the jagged, upturned rocks to keep up with Jasmine. Sighing, Mindy winced as a pebble tumbled into the sensitive leather of her boots, but kept going, reaching out to balance herself on the shear cliff face for a second.

' _Stupid, fashionable shoes_.' She grumbled mentally. ' _Why don't I ever wear things I can actually __**move**__ in_?'

Her pondering was cut short, however, as she turned the next corner and ran head first into Alexis.

The blonde was standing, staring transfixed at a point in the distance, barely even registering that her friend and roommate had just crashed into her back. She stepped forward slightly to accommodate the shift in her equilibrium and keep herself upright, but other than that, gave no indication that she even knew Mindy was there.

" Ow!" The dark haired girl complained, rubbing her sore nose. " Not the best place to stand, Lex."

" Oh, Mindy." The blonde said in a daze. " When did you get here?"

" Just now. Didn't you feel me crash into you?"

" Was that you? Sorry, I must not have been paying attention." The blonde muttered in a distracted voice. Over her shoulder, Mindy could see Jasmine, whose face was flushed with excitement, and the still shivering Lia, who glaring, full force, at a completely impassive Zane. The longer the Obelisk boy seemed to be ignoring her narrowed eyes, the more intense her glare became, until Mindy swore she could see flames licking the rock behind the girl as she bristled at Zane's dismissal. But her attention was snagged away from the mounting tension (even if it was one sided) as an explosion ripped through the still night air.

A plume of smoke (was it holographic? It made her throat burn and her eyes water) rose up from the cove that their congregation of rocks was overlooking. Through the black mist, Mindy could faintly make out the shapes of two figures, standing on equally large, opposing rock formations. From the sound of the water crashing onto the shore, Mindy hazarded to guess that one of the figures was standing before the ocean that isolated their island.

Around her, she could see in greater detail how the explosion had affected her friends. Jasmine, it appeared, had lost her balance and had grabbed onto the nearest thing to support herself. Which just happened to be Zane. The boy was bent forward slightly, to accommodate for the extra weight now latched to his left arm, but it wasn't Jasmine's stuttering apologizes (Mindy could hear them over the roar of the turbulent sea) he was paying attention to. He was squinting into the heart of the smoke, trying to determine something from the barely there outlines of the figures. Alexis had taken several steps back, and grabbed onto the nearest rock to steady herself, while Lia, it transpired, had tumbled onto her back from the force, having been standing closer than the rest so she could watch the proceedings and glare at Zane at the same time. She was swearing (Mindy could hear that too. Over the sound of the ocean, Jasmine's stutters, _and_ the cacophony of coughing that resonated from all around.) quite violently. The pins must have stabbed her again. From the vicious yanking motions the French girl was making, Mindy could only assume that Lia had pulled the pins out of the shirt.

Slowly, as Jasmine let go of Zane's arm, her face red, and Lia climbed back to her feet, rubbing her abused back, the smoke began to clear. The outlines became darker and clearer as the mist dissipated, and Mindy felt her heart speed up as the bright red jacket of one of the duelists came into sharp focus.

" That's game!" Jaden struck his signature salute with his fore and middle finger, winking at the now kneeling Dimitri.

" Pinch me." Jasmine murmured from somewhere off to the side. " The Slacker beat him. The Slacker actually beat him."

" What happened now?" Lia asked, stumbling forward. Mindy glance back from the shocking scene as Alexis wound her arm around the smaller brunette's shoulders.

" Put it this way Lia." The blonde said with a soft smile.

" Jaden just made the history books."

* * *

And here we are again! I'm an an awful tease, aren't I? Just when we all thought Lia was _finally_ gonna get somewhere with Bastian, I yank the rug out from under her feet. Ah, she's so much fun to mess with.

Lia: Je vous deteste!

Love ya too, darling. Now, let's translate a few things, shall we?

...

Merde!

My copy paste isn't working! Shit, shit shit!

Well, uh...um...

Lia: When I'm in my room with the two fashion idiots, I say: Estelle! You repacked my suitcase?! And then later, on the cliff, I'm talking about all teh pins in my back.

The direct translation is: Ow! Shit! These things ahve minds of their own! They're trying to hurt me!

Lia: and later, it's: Fucking pins!

The sordid affrair: Reall,y I just wanted to ahve Jasmine call Alexis and Zane's meetings 'a sordid affrair'. That's my whole reasoning behind that.

Well, I think that about covers it. See you soon!

Lia :Hey, did you ever find that folder?

No, and I can't get Jaden to talk. What do you reccomend?

Lia: You could always just threaten to write them into something really embarrassing.

That never works. (begins to walk off)

Lia: (follows) You never know.

MoS


	23. The Fallout

Warnings: A little initiative on Lia's part, and a lot on Alexis'.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

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**Year One: The Academic**

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" Well look at it this way: You got your first obsessed stalker fan girl. You must be so proud."

" Shut up Alexis."

" I mean, she switched from _Zane_ to _you_."

" Yeah, kinda makes you wonder if she hit her head at the end of the duel."

" Really helping my self esteem here. Thanks."

" Any time, chéri."

" Yeah, sure. What she said."

" Why do I hang out with you two again?"

" Because we're the only ones who can put up with you for extended periods of time."

" Yeah, no one else can handle your ADD for so long."

" I'm not ADD!"

" _Suuuuure_, that's what they all say."

" Who's they?"

" Does it really matter, or are you just trying to get on my nerves?"

" What's the risk of you punching me if I say it's the latter?"

" Huge."

" Then yes, it matters."

A pause.

" Ow! What was that for?!"

" Does it really matter, or are you just trying to get on my nerves?"

"…"

" Good choice. Silence is your friend."

" Oh, shut it Lia."

" Hey, I was trying to help you back there."

" By biting the head off of an eight-year-old?"

" Eight and _a half_."

" Like that makes a difference."

" I got our point across, didn't I?"

" You didn't have to make her _cry_."

" …Those were crocodile tears, and you know it."

" The both of you be quiet."

" Why?"

Alexis sighed and pointed to where Zane was striding toward them in long, determined strides.

" Because we've got company."

The light of the sun slowly sinking behind the dark haired boy cast his strong, handsome features into a foreboding shadow. From somewhere off the right of the cliff the three duelists (a Slifer, a Ra, and an Obelisk. It was a rare sight; one that hadn't, in fact, been seen since the school had first opened, almost eight years prior to Jaden and Lia's acceptances and subsequent arrivals) were sitting by, the waves crashed against the red stained rocks. Behind them, the Slifer Red dorms rose up, unimpressive and uninspiring to most. But Lia was in the process of lowering her camera, the first streaks of sunset stretching out over the sky above the Red dorm almost taking her breath away. Alexis was lying down on her back, staring up at the slowly colouring sky, her duel disk in the grass beside her and her blonde hair spread out like a cloud about her head. Jaden had a piece of grass protruding out from between his lips, lazy smile on his face and eyes closed, breathing in the scent of the salty air and the crushed grass underneath his body.

The wind blew softly around them, and the air was perfumed with the scent of the see almost three stories below them. Syrus and Chumley had disappeared off earlier in the day to work on some project, and Bastian was holed up in his dorm room for one reason or another. After a first, memorable (not in a good way) attempt at getting him out into the world when he had locked himself away, no one was foolish enough to try and coax him out until he was ready. Lia and Brier (who was off with Beauregard, helping him with a tweaking of his latest game design) had promised to check up on the British boy as often as he would allow; but everyone, even Jaden (after both Brier and Alexis had given him a stern talking-to) seemed content to leave well enough alone, and enjoy the warm turn the weather had taken towards the end of February.

Each of the three had stiffened in their own way at Zane's approach. Alexis had sat straight up in the grass, expression open and curiousity on her face, if not mildly mistrustful. Jaden's back had straightened out, and though he regarded Zane with an innocently blank face, there was a suspicious glare that flickered through his eyes. Lia's reaction was the most obvious, and the one Zane had come to expect.

The brunette went from cautiously carefree to stiff and uptight in a heartbeat. The knuckles of the hand that was still clutching the camera bled to white, and her eyes narrowed dangerously as she looked up at his face. She stood up almost immediately, whether to get herself in a better position to attack (verbally, probably, although his shoulder had been quite sore over the break), or because she hated the Obelisk looking down at her, no one was sure.

" Jaden." Zane nodded to the other boy in his customary way. " Alexis." Another nod. " Ottilia." Lia's hackles rose at the sound of her full name.

" Did you need something, Zane?" Alexis hurriedly cut in, trying to diffuse the tension that had suddenly electrified the air.

" Chancellor Sheppard wants to talk to you Jaden." Zane's eyes bore into the Slifer boy's.

" What for?" Jaden pulled himself to his feet. " Is it important?"

" I think you should hurry."

" Get going." Alexis gave him a reassuring smile. " We'll let …everyone know where you've run off to."

None of the gathered individuals missed the pains Alexis went to to avoid using Syrus' name.

Jaden nodded slowly, locking eyes with Lia and flickering them, almost invisibly, to the Slifer Dorm, where the three knew that Syrus and Chumley were putting the finishing touches on their project.

" I'll see you guys later, okay?"

At Alexis' nod, he ran off, up the long, winding path that led to the main school building. Alexis watched his red jacket fade into the distance, only half aware that beside her, Lia had shuffled over about three steps, putting herself directly between Zane and the dorm room that lay gleaming against the reddening sky.

" So what did Sheppard want?" The blonde asked, still watching the disappearing pinprick.

" I'm not at liberty to say." Came the monotoned answer. " It's something Jaden should tell you for himself."

" So in other words, you want to torture us with the waiting." Alexis summarized, shooting Lia a silencing look. The brunette let her mouth fall shut, looking moodily to the side.

" Something like that." The older boy shrugged regally.

" You are a sadist, Zane." Alexis gave him a small laugh.

" Got that right." Lia hissed.

Both Blues turned to look at the Ra. Lia was seething, her arms crossed over her chest and fingers digging into the yellow sleeves of her jacket. The camera she had previously been holding on to like a lifeline was dangling around her neck, resting on her folded arms. Her hazel eyes were narrowed into slits and her teeth were gritted together. She was glaring at Zane like he had just crawled out of the lowest pits of Hell, and despite his ice-cold exterior, Zane let an eyebrow jump up at the girl's furious face.

" Lia." Alexis began warningly. " This isn't the time for-"

" No Lex." She started at the sound of her nickname coming from his mouth. " The girl had something to say."

His dark green eyes bore steadily into Lia's own.

" I think we should hear her out."

There was a barely hidden barb, a jab at Lia's pride. Zane was, in his own subtle way, leaning down off his well-earned pedestal to listen to a lowly peasant speak her mind. Alexis heard the jibe in his tone, and winced mentally, taking a half step back from where the two teenagers had locked gazes. Zane inclined his head just the slightest, as if to give Lia his permission to speak, and the already reddish haze that had settled into her senses blazed to a full-blown crimson.

" Listen, asshole." She spat, and was rewarded with the barest twitch of his mouth in a downward direction. " I'm going to say this in French, and if you don't understand, it's not my problem. So listen, and listen very carefully, because I am not repeating myself for the likes of _you_.

"Je ne vous aime pas. Je n'aime pas les personnes qui doivent sélectionner sur d'autres qui sont plus faibles juste pour se rendre le sentir bon. Vous êtes pathétique, et n'importe qui avec des yeux peut le voir. Mais cela n'importe pas. Je ne m'inquiète pas à quel point vous pathétique êtes ou, quelles questions vous avez avec votre famille. Vous touchez Syrus, vous tellement comme regard à lui mal, et, comme Dieu en tant que mon témoin, personne ne trouveront jamais votre corps!"

Lia spat the last word at his face, and then whipped around, nearly smacking both of the Blues with her curls. She marched steadily towards the Slifer dorms, still hissing like a snake under her breath a long run of self-deprecating comments that Alexis barely caught. She turned up the stairs, hurried over the rickety steps, and flung the door to the room Syrus shared with Chumley and Jaden wide open. With one last cold glance back at the duo, she entered, slamming the slab of wood behind her with agitated force.

There was a stunned, cold silence.

" Well, she certainly isn't very fond of me." Zane deadpanned, looking over his shoulder at Alexis. " You catch any of what she was saying Lex?"

" Put it this way." Alexis grumbled as she started after the brunette. " You're in shit. Deep shit."

Zane shrugged in his regal way, and Alexis let the scowl she'd been holding back ever since he'd arrived slide up onto her face. She watched the cold, loner boy her brother had insistedly dragged to their get togethers saunter off, and a bubble of anger rose in her chest. After everything Atticus had gone through to get Zane's attention, that he could still so easily brush her (and the world, but it hurt her more) off baffled her and whipped into action the words that came tumbling out of her mouth.

" She's right though Zane." He kept walking, not even tilting his head to show that he was listening. The anger coursed hotter through her body. " You _are_ pathetic."

That stopped him. Stopped him dead.

He turned around to look at her, and Alexis was pleased to see a look of stunned bewilderment on his face. She looked away from his eyes (was that hurt she saw in them?), and bit her lip is guilt for a split second, but the memory of Syrus' tear filled eyes on that night so many months ago had her head snapping back up and her own eyes blazing.

" And if you keep treating Syrus the way you do, you'll have more than an angry Ra girl to deal with."

She touched the card holder that hung at her hip, gaze steady.

" Is that a threat, Lex?" There was one in his voice, she could hear it. But a year of standing with him at the point, talking about her problems, discussing card strategies, complaining about boys hitting on her (and, more recently, talking about Atticus; about his smiles, his ideas, the way he could always make her day seem brighter. It hurt, talking, but it made her feel better, like a great, searing heat had been plucked from where it pierced her chest. What would she do without those talks? Bottle it up until it exploded again?) had given her the strength to withstand his iciest tones.

And almost six months of sitting with Jaden, and talking to Lia, and restructuring decks with Syrus, and complaining to Chumley, and getting Bastian to help her with her homework, and just being with people who liked her because she was Alexis Rhodes (not the Queen of Obelisk Blue, not the most well-endowed girl of her year, not Atticus' cute kid sister) had given her the courage to finally voice the thoughts that had been brewing around in her head ever since she'd actually met the gentle, sweet boy Zane was trying to save in entirely the wrong way.

" It's much more than a threat Zane. It's a promise."

Zane gave her one last, piercing look, and then he turned around and continued up the path that led to the school.

And Alexis, who stood, silhouetted against the setting sun, feeling at the same time stronger and weaker than ever before, bit back the sting of tears, as an era came to a non-violent, but no less turbulent, end.

**_**

It wasn't until she stood outside the abandoned dorm that night, laying a rose on the entrance in tribute, that the dam broke.

" I broke up with Zane today." She said softly. A sniffle escaped her, and then she couldn't help but laugh. " No, it's not what you're thinking. Zane and I didn't hook up after you disappeared. I mean, we did, but not the normal way. No, that's not right either. I mean, we were always together, but not, you know, _together_. He…He wasn't my boyfriend. Well, he was my friend, and he was a boy, but he never looked at me like that. I wanted him to, you know. Of course you know, you were the one who made me see it. Poor little Alexis, all hung up on her big brother's best friend. You always had a good laugh at that, huh Atty? I guess it was funny, in a way. I always got so tongue-tied around him. I would blush so red and I could never think of anything to say. I think he knew. He must've known. Only a complete idiot wouldn't have guessed. But if he _did_ know, he never let on. He let me keep my dignity. I think you might have asked him to do that, Atty. I know Zane would never have called me out in front of the whole school, he's not like that, but he may have done it privately. So if you did tell him to let me believe I was hiding it, thanks, Atty. It saved me a lot of humiliation today.

" So many things have happened this year, Atty. First off, this new guy, Jaden – you know, the one I was going on about last time?- yeah him. He just got told that he was one of two Duelists chosen to represent us in the School Duel. Can you imagine that? A Slifer, repping us. But don't worry Atty. He's good. Really good. He beat Crowler – I know that's not much of an accomplishment – and me. He beat Chazz too. You remember Chazz, don't you? You were always trying to set the two of us up, even though you knew I only had eyes for Zane. He's still chasing me, by the way, and I blame you for that. If you hadn't gotten the idea into his head…

" Where was I? Oh, yeah, Jaden. He has to duel Bastian – Misawa, the Ra I mentioned – in a duel off, and the winner is the school representative in School Duel. Jaden will win though, I know he will. He just has this thing about him. You take one look at him, and you know he's gonna win. Even if you look at him when he's losing, you just know. He'll find a way to turn it around. He's Jaden Yuki. He could probably even give you a run for your money, big brother. Lia says he's an idiot, but you can tell she's really very attached to him. But she doesn't like him like that. She likes Bastian. She was supposed to go to the Yuugi's Deck Tour Exhibit with him, but she caught a cold from the night before, and had to cancel. They aren't talking about it. It was such a let down. Mindy even had a whole outfit planned too.

" Oh, you don't really know who Lia is, do you? Lia Shanner is an Academic in Ra Yellow. She's in her first year, but I think she's only 14. She's really sarcastic, Atty. You would love her, I just know it. You'd spend all day annoying her and trying to piss her off, and she'd just get redder and redder until she'd finally explode and cuss you out, and you'd smile the whole way through. You always did have this way of getting on people's nerves. Jaden like to call Lia Koneko-chan, because she acts like an offended kitten most of the time. She's my best friend Atty. I can talk to her about stuff, stuff I can even talk about with-"

Alexis stopped, lowering her eyes as her chest began to ache slightly.

" I guess you'd like to know what happened with Zane." She walked to the entrance pillar, leaning against it.

" His brother came this year. The little one he was always talking about. Syrus. You remember him talking about Syrus, don't you? How weak he was, how scared he was, how he as trying to help the little guy? He would tell us about how he was trying to toughen him up, get him ready for the real world. Remember how you used to tell him to go easy on the little guy? To not push him too far? And then Zane would always get that far away look in his eyes and just stare out to the horizon, like he hadn't even heard you?"

She slowly slipped down to the ground.

" Atty, he went too far. He finally went too far."

A tear slide down her cheek.

" I met him, Atty. I met Syrus. And he's wonderful. He's this short little guy with glasses and blue hair that's almost as big as his head. He's nervous and twitchy. He's scared of meeting new people, but he wants to meet them. He tends to fumble when he gets nervous. He's afraid of the dark, afraid of bats, and afraid of Zane. He's Jaden's best friend, and he would walk through fire and bullets for anyone of us. He doesn't like to hurt people, and I've seen him swallow his fear and fight when we needed him to. He helped Jaden win the tag-team duel so that they wouldn't get expelled. He's a great kid, and he could be an awesome duelist, big brother, if Zane would just give him a chance.

" Zane just tears him down, just makes him feel horrible about himself. Every time Syrus starts to grow, Zane pops up and destroys all the progress he's made with a few words. Syrus loves Zane. You know how much he idolizes his big brother. Zane wasn't lying about that. But at the same time, Syrus has so much trouble growing _because_ he loves Zane. Those words carry a lot of weight, and so far, all Zane has used that weight for is to knock Syrus down.

" I got so mad, Atty. Madder than I've even been in my life. I was more upset by what Zane had done than I was when you cut the head off of Elsie. You know, the doll I loved? Yeah, I was more pissed just three hours ago. Zane just keeps ruining everything Syrus does by telling him that he's worthless, and Lia and Chumley and Jaden have had enough. Before Christmas Break went out, Lia overheard Zane saying something about Syrus that wasn't…well, it wasn't very nice. When it is ever, huh, Atty? Anyway, Lia got angry, pulled out a textbook, and whipped it at him. He had a bruise on his shoulder all break, I heard. Chumley got Syrus to help him…well, put it this way. Zane came back to find that all his white Obelisk trench coats had been mixed in with the Slifer Laundry, and had turned pink. It was funny, but I think Zane's pride was hurt. So the next time he saw him, Zane made a point of telling Syrus how pathetic and useless he was, you know, the usual. But Zane was about to demand Power Bond back, which he had already promised he would never do again, and then Jaden showed up. Thank God. He told Zane that if he wanted a rematch, name the time and place. Zane declined, of course. Jaden's good, Atty. A bit more practice, and he might just beat Zane. I want him to. I want Jaden to beat Zane. Beat him hard. I just…I just want Zane to get a taste of what he's been putting Syrus through all these years. I want _him_ to be the one who's hurt.

" That's probably why I said what I said today.

" Lia had just told Zane…well. She'd threatened him if he ever hurt Syrus again. She called him pathetic, and a bully, and said no one would find his body. Lia's got a flare for the dramatic, when the mood strikes her. Anyway, she'd just gone off to talk to Syrus and Chumley – she was probably gonna tell Sy not to come outside until his brother was gone- and Zane started walking off. He just brushed past me, like I wasn't even there. And all I could think about was how hard you had tried to be his friend, and how hard I had tried to get his attention, and then how he seemed to let us in until it was important, and then he would shut us right back out. And then I though about Syrus, and the way he cries, and the way he shakes, and the fact that he is worth ten times his weight in gold. And then I thought about how Zane just brushed that off too, and…and…and..."

Alexis pressed her hand again her forehead, tears streaming down her anguished face.

" Atty, I called him pathetic too. I told him that if he kept hurting Syrus, he would have to answer to me. Atty, I told him which side I was on, and it wasn't his. I hurt him Atty, I know I did. I turned my back on him. I chose Syrus over him, and I think I might've done just to hurt him.

" No, that's not true. I did it because I think Syrus needs me more. Zane already knows how to stand on his own two feet. If we can keep him away from his brother, maybe Sy will learn how to too. But one thing's for sure, big brother: Zane isn't going to forgive me. It's over."

Alexis quietly wiped the tears from her eyes, and hauled herself up off the ground.

" Whatever was between us is over."

" Hey, are you okay?"

Alexis started, whipping around while trying to hastily wipe the last ruminants of her tears from her eyes. As her vision cleared, she found herself looking at a man who looked far too old to be in school, his long brown hair in a loose ponytail at the base of his neck, and a Slifer Red jacket drabbed over his shoulder.

" What are you doing here?" It came out more hostile than she would've liked. The man noticed, and held up his hands in a submissive gesture.

" Hey, hey, I was just curious about the rumours of missing students. No need to bite my head off."

Any guilt she was feeling dissipated at the mention of the students.

" Don't you know this area is out of bounds?" She snapped, brushing past him. He tried to snag her arm she went by, but she shook herself out of his grip.

" Like I said, I was just curious. You wouldn't happen to know anything about what happened here, would you?"

" You're curious?" Alexis hissed, refusing to let her eyes drift to the single, dark red rose she'd left a the entrance like anyone else would leave flowers at a grave. " Here's what I know: You can _stay_ curious!"

And she ran off into the wood, leaving the obviously-_not_-a student to stare blankly after her.

* * *

Hi again! So, how's everyone liking the flood of chapters? I like this set because they really tend to flesh out Lia's character, as well as give a little insight into the relationships of all the characters, not just my OC. That being said, how's about some translations? (I got the copy-paste working again! Yay!)

"Je ne vous aime pas. Je n'aime pas les personnes qui doivent sélectionner sur d'autres qui sont plus faibles juste pour se rendre le sentir bon. Vous êtes pathétique, et n'importe qui avec des yeux peut le voir. Mais cela n'importe pas. Je ne m'inquiète pas à quel point vous pathétique êtes ou, quelles questions vous avez avec votre famille. Vous touchez Syrus, vous tellement comme regard à lui mal, et, comme Dieu en tant que mon témoin, personne ne trouveront jamais votre corps!" - "I don't like you. I don't like poeple who have to pick on others who are weaker than them just to make themselves feel good. You are pathetic, and anyone with eyes can se that. But that's not important. I don't care how pathetic you are, or what problems you have with your family. You touch Syrus, you look at him wrong, and, God as my witness, no one will ever find your body!" Ah, the confrontation between Lia and Zane. Up until now, it's mainly been silent brooding, and ignoring. But you'll notice that Zane really couldn't care less about what Lia's says. Her threats have no effect on him. He thinks of her as an annoying fly. Her words carry no weight with them. So while this is Lia finally making it very clear to Zane where he stands in her mind, and it's a good release of tension for h_er,_ Zane really doesn't care one way or the other. Lia is very much beneath him, in his eyes. Now, _Alexis_ on the other hand...

Alexis and Zane - They, even in _GX_, have a pre-established relationship, and often, in the dub at least, cite Atticus as the common thread between them. And it can be extrapolated that Atticus and Zane are, in fact, are close, or as close as Zane can be to a person. Zane seems to take on a protective role around Alexis (as seen in the episode with the pharaoh who only won because people let him (in Season one) where he tells her that he will protect her, and that she is safe with him). He makes a better brother to her than he does to Syrus, but that's usually the case. There is also a slight hint of romantic intention, but, once the second year roles around and Zane becomes the loveable ol' Hell Kaiser, that hint is so tropedoed out of the water it isn't even funny anymore. the point is, Alexis' words will carry a much greater weight than Lia's, because Zane, at one point or another, ahs let her into his world, and to ahve her throw taht back in his face...well, I did say I was gonna make him pay for hurting Syrus, didn't I? (and there's still more hurt to come, I can promise you all that)

Alexis' monologue - My first real indepth about Alexis and ehr character. I'm so proud of this. It took a while to get teh wording right, and for it to sound how I think she would talk to 'Atticus'. I wanted it to sound like a confession being made at a grave, but also have ti sound like she doesn't believe he's really gone. In the dub, it's never really established if Alexis believes taht Atticus is dead, or just missing. She often says: ' I miss you, brother.' and I seem to remember once instance of her saying: Rest in peace, but that might have been from the abridged series getting mixed into my head. But here, I wanted to establish taht while Alexis resfuses to believe that Atticus is dead, she's starting to lose hope in ever finding him. Still, she takes comfort in talking to him. It's also for the reader to find out a little bit more about ehr relationship with Zane, which, up until now, has been vaguely referenced and rather shady. But here it is plainly: Alexis met Zane through her brother. She had a crush on him (does she still? Yeah, think about that.) She and him really bonded over Atticus' disappearance, and Zane told her about Syrus. Alexis agreed with Zane's methods, because he didn't go into detail about them. Upon meeting Syrus, Alexis found she couldn't agree anymore, and started trying to protect Sy while still being Zane's friend. But, at this point in the story, she can't stay in neutral ground anymore. She has to pick a side. And I think she would choose Syurs, even in the dub.

You can stay curious! - I loved that line of ehrs in the dub. You tell him, Lexi!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go take my OC's advise,a nd threaten to write Jaden into a love triangle with Chazz and Syrus if he doesn't give me pack my plot folder!

MoS


	24. The Confliction

Warnings: Prepare to feel a bit bad for Lia. and then laugh at her misfortune, liek the saidsts we all are! Muahahahaha!...Okay, I'm done.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Lia was having, certainly not for the first time, but the first one in a long time, a crisis.

On the one hand, there was Bastian. Smart, well-mannered, gentlemanly Bastian, who was always there, quiet and refined, when she needed him, without being in her face or in her business. He always had a compliment for her, though more often than not it had to do with her academic achievements, rather than her appearance, which she appreciated, but always left her wishing she'd done something different with her hair, just to see if he would notice.

And then, on the other hand, there was Jaden. Sweet, lovable, goof ball Jaden, who had never said a single negative thing to her (even when she deserved it), who always told her how cute she was (especially when her looks didn't warrant it), and who, since day one, had been nothing but open and charming, in his own, innocent way. Jaden had been nothing but friendly to her, even when she had had her moments of fear and threw his friendship back in his face, to her horror and relief.

Lia knew what the old sayings degreed about love and fools, but she considered herself something of a cut above the rest in logical thinking, and nothing as flighty as a crush was going to impair her decision. (Even if the object of her affections _was_ a handsome, well brought up fellow European boy, whose accent had actually made her go weak at the knees, upon first introduction.)

Really, it was all a question of who she owed more to, not who made her heart flutter in her chest whenever he smiled at her, or made her face heat up whenever his hand accidentally brushed over hers when they were both reaching to pick up –

She was stopping that train of though right there.

What it all boiled down who she thought deserved (or was it needed? No, it couldn't be needed, because she was just the Academic of the group, the only person in their little rag-tag band who didn't play 'The Game'. So why would either Bastian or Jaden be in need of the thorny brunette who knew next to nothing about their sport?) her support more. And while she felt bad for thinking in those terms, she knew it was the only way she was going to get through the crisis without a migraine.

And it _was_ a crisis, because Lia was at a loss of how to handle the situation. Before coming to Duel Academy, she had begun to realize, she had never had these sort of problems because she had never been so close to anyone before. And while it did afford her a certain amount of strain, it was also an uplifting, floating feeling to know that she was close enough to even two people to feel torn in her loyalties.

If she had been able to take that route, she might have let her feelings decide for her. While Lia had always been a thinker (as opposed to a feeler, like Jaden seemed to be), there were just too many pros and cons to be weighted and considered in the dilemma. If she thought to hard about, she would end up over analyzing ever little detail of her relationship with both boys, and that would be a complete waste of time and brain effort. She wanted to make the decision quickly, but Fate, as it appeared, had conspired against her with her heart. (God, that sounded awful. She should never have let Jasmine talk her into watching that soap opera marathon with her.)

Because Lia felt equally, if not similarly, about the both of the boys.

Bastian might be the boy she liked, but Jaden was her first true friend, and his place in her affections was just as large, although for an entirely different reason, as Bastian's.

And so, she was back to square one.

Talking with Syrus and Chumley had yielded little to no effect. While both of the Slifer boys liked and respected Bastian, they both were quite clear in their support of Jaden. Embarrassingly enough, when Lia was coaxed into revealing her torn status on the upcoming match, the two Slifers had shared a disturbingly knowing look.

" Jaden won't mind if you support Bastian." Chumley had insisted with a small smile. " He knows you care about him, but he'd be okay with you cheering for his opponent."

" Yeah, Jay knows he's important to you, but he knows Bastian's important to you too." Syrus had piped up, sly grin on his face. Lia had ended up leaving the two boys to their decks, face red with the knowledge that they might _know_, and had gone straight to her dorm room, not even bothering to ask Alexis about who she would be supporting. Given the way she had been looking at Jaden for nearly six months, Lia could only shake her head and sigh, knowing full Alexis would tell her to follow her heart, (corny as it sounded) and that wouldn't help her.

In desperation, Lia picked up the blue cell phone Gauvin had given to her as a going away present the past August, and punched in a familiar set of numbers. Pressing the phone to her ear, she waited with bated breath as it began to ring. It rang through four times, and then there was a soft click, and Lia took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.

" Mama-" She started, but was quickly cut off.

" 'Allo!" A cheerful, throaty female voice crooned into her ear.

" Mama, je-" But the voice cut through her sentence again.

" Je suis très désolé, mais nous ne pouvons pas venir au téléphone en ce moment. Veuillez laisser votre nom et nombre, et nous obtiendrons de nouveau à toi aussitôt que possible. Au revoir!" The voice continued, and at the end of the short, instructional message, a sharp beep pierced the air. Lia stared at the phone for a split second, her eyes unreadable, before she brought it back to her ear, head down so that her bangs covered her eyes.

"Bonjour maman. Vous m'êtes manquée, ainsi j'ai décidé d'appeler. Je devine que vous n'êtes pas là en ce moment, ainsi je laisserai juste un message. Aimez-toi." She flipped the phone closed, her bangs still casting her eyes into shadow.

She set the phone down and quietly walked out the door, closing it behind herself and using the key that had been given to her at the start of the year to lock it. With a heavy heave of her shoulder, Lia started off down the hall, knowing full well that when she got to the duel, she still wouldn't know who she was cheering for. But it was, honestly, the last thing on her mind at the moment.

"Est-il trop à demander une mère qui répondra au téléphone?" She asked the empty hallway. There was no answer. Only the lonely sound of her footsteps as she walked off.

**_**

Chumley only just glanced up as Lia sank slowly into the seat next to him. He noticed her scrunched features and flexing fingers, a sure sign that she was upset about something. But, as he had learned in the past, it was better not to push the issue. Letting her talk was the best way to find out what was wrong. And Chumley was willing to bet money that she was frustrated because she still hadn't picked a side.

" You showed up." He observed. Lia made a small, non-committal noise.

" We have the day off too." She explained with a shrug. " Apparently, this thing is supposed to be important to us too."

" Isn't it?"

He expected a quick jibe, a statement of how she didn't want to be here, and how the only reason why she had ever showed up was because Jaden would have a fit if he looked into the crowd and didn't see her there, whether she was on his side or not.

But all he got was another dispassionate shrug.

" I don't know." She pulled her knees up onto the seat and rested her chin on them. " Seems like there's very little I'm certain of these days."

Chumley looked at her fully this time. Her eyes were distant, looking out onto the duel arena but not really seeing it, glazed over with some memory or thought that Chumley was sure she wasn't going to share with anyone. The ever-present camera was tucked in the space between her knees and the rest of her body, the strap hanging over the edge of her hip and pooling on the blue seat below. Her hair fell in ringlets down her back, and, with a jolt, Chumley realized it was free of it's usually confinement. It fell, longer than he'd imagined, to just between her shoulder blades. Lia heaved another sigh that moved her whole body, and turned to look at Chumley, her eyes focused, but her face blank.

" Who's your money on?"

" Huh?" He blinked. " Oh, um…Jaden."

Lia turned back to the arena.

" Really? What makes you think he'll win?"

Chumley shifted uncomfortably.

" Well, he always has before, right?"

" He's a lucky little bugger, alright." Lia pulled the camera out from its resting place, and held it in front of her face, closing one eyes so she could look at the arena through the lens.

" But this one…it's going to take more than luck."

Chumley opened his mouth to retort, maybe to defend Jaden or maybe to insult Lia's lack of faith, but it was interrupted by Syrus bouncing up, bright smile on his face glowing like the sun.

" Hey guys! Isn't this just awesome?! I mean, it's incredible, right? Jaden and Bastian, finally going at it. We've all been waiting _months_ for this. And the winner gets to be in the School Duel. The _School Duel_, guys! No Slifer has _ever_ represented Duel Academy, not ever! Imagine if Jay wins! A Slifer, repping the _whole_ school! Is that amazing? Isn't it?!"

" So you think Jaden will win?" Lia asked, still staring through her camera.

" Don't you?" Syrus countered immediately, but good-naturedly. He popped down in the seat beside Lia, wriggling with anticipation. " I mean, you've seen him duel, right?"

" Once or twice." Lia muttered, making a show of adjusting the lens. " But I never really understand what goes on during these things, so it's pretty much lost on me."

" What's with the camera?" Syrus asked. Out of the corner of his eyes, Chumley thought he saw Lia flinch.

" Just hoping to get some shots."

" Why?"

Lia's cheeks went a little bit pink.

" I…just because I don't understand doesn't make something uninteresting." She fiddled with the lens. " Besides, Jaden might want some pictures of this. And I can use them for…" She trailed off, flushing an even darker pink.

" For what?" Syrus prodded absentmindedly as he looked around for Jaden.

" For showing my family what this place is like. None of them duel, so it would help with explaining things." Lia said quickly, not meeting either boy's eyes.

Down on stadium floor, Crowler took his stand in the center of the arena, flinging his arms out as he made a show of the introductions.

" Where's Alexis?" Syrus mumbled in excitement. " She's missing it."

" I'm sure she'll wander in before the end." Lia answered, snapping a picture of Crowler waving his hands around. " She cares about this just as much as you do."

" And do you care?" Chumley asked quietly, in dead seriousness. From her seat beside him, Lia glance up out of the corner of her eye at the hulking boy, camera still held before her face, finger still poised to take another photo. Under the curtain of her curls, Chumley thought he saw a flicker of unease pass over Lia's face, coupled with a hesitancy he'd come to recognize. She bit her lower lip, and then readjusted the camera again, zooming it in and out. Chumley waited patiently, but it became apparent that Lia wasn't going to answer his question. He turned back to the Duel Arena, feeling oddly disappointed in the girl next to him.

It wasn't until both boys let their duel disks slide into the activated position that Chumley felt Lia shift next to him.

" I care."

But when he turned to look at her, the Ra girl had her camera up and was snapping photos of Jaden and Bastian, muttering under her breath in French and the constant click of the shudder snapping shut drowning out any other noise.

**_**

Lia was not stupid, that was certain, but dueling was an area which she considered herself woefully ignorant.

Still, she was pretty sure that Jaden had started out well, pulling that red-clothed lady with the long hair (' _Burstinatrix_.' She reminded herself) out and making her attack that weird, metal lizard thing Bastian had out in front of him, kneeling down. (Syrus reminded her that that was called defense mode, but he hadn't told her what the lizard was called.).

And then Bastian had tried to attack Jaden with the dragon thingy that seemed to be made out of some sort of gas (Oxigedon, she thought Chumley had called it, but she couldn't be sure), but Jaden had stopped it. The dragon thing stopped attacking, and the lady-in-red was still standing.

Even Lia, in her rudimentary knowledge of Duel Monsters, could tell that everything was going well for Jaden.

Things hadn't started to look bad until after Jaden had summoned the guy he called Sparkman (she remembered that one because Jaden tended to yell), which his used to help the red lady ('_**Burstinatrix**_.' She thought more forcefully) to destroy the dragon thing.

And then the entire stadium had exploded into light and heat.

From the entire of the duel arena, far below them, a fiery ball, engorged with the flames from Burstinatrix's attack and fueled by the dragon she thought was called Oxigedon, rose up and swelled, engulfing the audience in a violent orange-red glow. A tremour passed through Lia as she realized that, though she knew the fire was nothing more than a hologram designed to simulate the real thing, it didn't stop her from feeling the heat sear over her skin. Her face went red and her eyes began to water, so she shut them. Her arms came up instinctively to block the fire from reaching her, and, against the heart thundering in her chest, her skin began to burn with a piercing, sharp pain.

Lia gasped for breath as the fire dissipated, leaving nothing but cool and empty air in its wake. Around her, several of the students whispered back and forth about the incredible effect of Kaiba Corp holograms, and how real the fire had looked. Still breathing hard, Lia reached down, and discreetly massaged the slight burning sensation that remained at her collarbone. And instant or so later, the pain was gone, and Lia was once again staring, riveted, at the two Duelists below.

Jaden shook off the explosion like it was nothing, grinning at Bastian from across the arena, and then ordering Sparkman to attack the Ra directly, blue currents of electricity dancing out around the blue- clad monster. The counter the was raised above Bastian on the opposite wall, next to the one that was raised on Jaden's side of the field, dropped from the 3200 it had rested at after the fire ball to a mere 1600. Jaden's remain steady at 3200.

Lia, who had been holding her breath since the surge of heat that encompassed the entire stadium, let out a small breath of relief, and reached down for the camera, which had fallen into her lap when she had desperately brought her arms up. She snapped a shot of Jaden's triumph smile.

She watched as the two had bantered back and forth a little, and then suddenly, before she could even blink, Bastian had a gushing, brown, four-footed creature racing across the field to attack Burstinatrix. Lia blinked, confused.

" The hell is that thing?" She asked, peeking over the top of her camera. " It wasn't there a second ago, was it?"

" Just wait and see." Chumley reached over and patted her shoulder. Or at least, he tried to. But he was looking at the match, not where his hand was going, and he ended up slapping her elbow instead. Lia rolled her eyes, and focused in on Bastian's smirking face.

' _He's way too calm_,' Lia thought, ' _for someone who could lose in just one turn. I may not know Duel Monsters, but I've played cards before, and if there's one thing I know, it's that Bastien is __**way **__too calm_.'

Sometimes, Lia cursed woman's intuition.

It all happened so fast.

Burstinatrix vanished in a wash of the brown blast spewing from the monster's mouth. Then there was another brown thing crawling around on the field. And then, to Lia's surprise, the dragon thing was back, weaker, according to Bastian, then before. But his smirk was steadily growing, and Lia felt the first stirrings of fear settle into her gut.

Bastian whipped something out, something about bonding and hydrogen and oxygen, and Lia had a flash back to sitting in her grandfather's study, in the big, leather chair that spun, listening to the wispy old man talk about ionic bonding and how two hydrogen's bonded to one oxygen and formed-

" Eau!" She breathed, just as the great mass of blue tinted water split the air with an ear-splitting, and utterly inhuman roar.

" This isn't good." Lia just barely heard Jaden whisper to himself.

" Aw man." Syrus fretted. " How's Jay gonna beat that thing?"

" Relax Sy." Chumley turned and spoke to the smaller boy over Lia's head. "Jaden'll just use one of his fusion monsters, and that'll be the end of it."

" Chumley's right, Sy." Alexis' voice cut it. All three looked up as the blonde entered from the West Entrance, darting down the steps to the seat on the aisle, next to a still anxious looking Syrus.

" Sorry I'm late." She said as she slipped gracefully into the seat. " I, ah…I overslept this morning."

"Today of all days?" Syrus was incredulous.

" I was up real late last night."

" Doing what?"

Alexis softened, and she looked out onto the arena the same way Lia had, not seeing anything.

" Talking to someone who was willing to listen."

Syrus looked ready to press the issue, despite Chumley's shaking head and Lia's warning looks, until a bright light flooded the arena below, and all four spectators caught a glimpse of the card Bastian had just played.

" Cursed Seal of the- Oh _crap_!" Alexis swore, standing up and leaning over the seat (and the head of the person in that seat) to get a better look at the field.

" Aw man, aw man, awmanawmanawman!" Syrus shouted, yanking at his blue hair. " This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this isn't happening!"

" Not 'liscious. Not 'liscious at all." Chumley shook his head.

And in the dead center of all the mayhem over the card, Lia sat, camera lowered and eyebrow raised in complete confusion.

" Um, what?" She asked finally, and jumped back as all three whipped around to stare at her.

" Don't you _get_ it?" Alexis hissed. " Don't you understand what Bastian just _did_?"

" Cursed Seal of – _oh_ this is bad, this is very bad, this is very, very, very bad! Do you have any idea of how _bad_ this is?!" Syrus shrieked, grabbing Lia by the shoulders and shaking her.

" Um, very?"

" Very very! Very very _very_!"

" How can you _not_ understand what's happening?" Alexis shook her head.

" Um, hi." Lia pointed to herself, annoyance clear on her face. " Academic?"

Abruptly, Alexis' scornful expression melted away.

" Oh. Oh, right. I keep forgetting. Sorry." She rubbed the back of her head. " You want me to explain what's going on and why we're all so freaked out?"

" Might be nice." Lia said in a clipped tone.

" Remember when I explained fusion to you?" A nod. " And remember Polymerization? Remember what that card does?" There was a pause, but it was soon followed by another nod. " Good. The card Bastian just played is called Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell. It allows him to…well, to basically, stop Polymerization before it even starts."

Lia looked puzzled.

" He stopped Jaden from fusing his monsters."

" But…but he can do it later, right?" Lia asked, panic just starting to seep into her voice. Her eyes went wide when Alexis shook her head.

" No, if a spell card is destroyed by Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell, it can't be used for the rest of the duel."

" But…but…" Lia struggled with the concept. " Th-that means that…"

Alexis nodded grimly.

" Jaden can't fuse his monsters."

Suddenly, Lia understood why Bastian had been so calm, even when he was on the verge of losing. He had long since figured out the one weakness in Jaden's strategy, and exposed it for his gain. While she knew it was well within his rights as the other player to use such a trick, a hot lump of anger settled into Lia's throat and rendered her incapable of doing much more than nodding in agreement with what Alexis was saying. She looked down at Bastian, and saw the same smirk she'd seen on his face when the first feeling of dread had come to her.

Sometimes, Lia really hated being right about things.

* * *

Ah, don't we all at times. And don't you just love watching her fawn all over Bastian? It's so cute. ...And jsut a little bit pathetic, given that he really doesn't give her the time of day in that way. At all. Ever. ...Lia hoeny, you might want to consider movign on.

Lia: Well, if you would just _write_ me moving on, I'd be able to, now wouldn't I?

...Oh, right, all powerful master of this universe. Sorry, forgot for a moment.

Lia: ...(Twitch)

So, how about we translate some stuff, okay?

Lia: How does a person forget that they control every aspect of a contained universe?

Very easily! Moving on!

Je suis très désolé, mais nous ne pouvons pas venir au téléphone en ce moment. Veuillez laisser votre nom et nombre, et nous obtiendrons de nouveau à toi aussitôt que possible. Au revoir!" - I'm very sorry , but we can't come to teh phone at the moment. Please leave your name and number, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Bye!

"Bonjour maman. Vous m'êtes manquée, ainsi j'ai décidé d'appeler. Je devine que vous n'êtes pas là en ce moment, ainsi je laisserai juste un message. Aimez-toi." - Hi, Mom. I missed you, so I decided to call. I guess you aren't there at the moment, so I'll just leave a meesage. Love you.

"Est-il trop à demander une mère qui répondra au téléphone?" - Is it too much to ask for a mother who answers the phone?

Okay, everybody together: Aww!

Lia: Shut up.

You are jsut so pathetic and alone, aren't you?

Lia: I wouldn't _be_ so alone if you ahd written me as a happier cahracter!

If I'd written you as a happier character, you wouldn't be the bitch we all know and love!

Lia: Am I a tsundere character?

Well, a bit, but I'm trying really hard to avoid that. You'll be a bitch, regardless of whether you're friends or not. But yeah, I guess you are a bit of a tsundere.

Lia: Oh, joy.

Hey, tsundere characters are really cute. It's so gratifying for the audience to see them break down their walls and embrace their kind hearts! Not to mention, when they get all flustered because someone points out the really sweet things they do, it's just too adorable!

Lia: You sound like a fangirl at an anime convention. Quit it, you're starting to creep me out.

Can't help it. I'm just now starting to realize what a cute character I created. Not to toot my own horn or anything.

Lia: Stop telling her how much you like me! It's all going to her head.

No, keep telling me what you like about Lia! I'll be sure to emphasis the traits in her that are the most likeable!

Lia: Can we get back to the translations, please?

Sure.

The pictures - she's still not in any of them, have you noticed?

Lia's take on the duel - Isn't it just amusing? I love the way she describes things. Her entire face is like, " ...Um, what?"

Lia: You only made me a non-duelist because you can't duel, or write duels! It's all your own doing!

Yeah, yeah. Well, I think that's it for now.

Lia: Hey, did Jaden get the threat?

No idea.

MoS


	25. The Faith

Warnings: Some language. Soem implied drinking. But that's all, really.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" This is insane."

" It can't be that bad.

" Trust me, it's that bad."

" So he's in a bit of trouble, big deal. He'll get out of it. Remember the duel over the break?"

" This is different!"

" How so?"

" It just is, alright?!"

" Calm down."

" I am calm!"

" Try to calm down even _more_ then."

" I'm fine. I'm just…a little anxious is all."

" You're hyperventilating."

" I am _not_!"

" You are, and you know I can tell."

" …Okay, okay, _fine_. Maybe I'm…on edge a bit."

" A _bit_?"

" Okay, a lot. But if you were here, you'd understand why!"

A beat of silence. A painful shrug. A guilty look.

" Don't you think I want to be there? I mean, Jaden is…our friend."

A lip worried between teeth. A glance to the side with sorry eyes.

" Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I know that. I…of course I know that. I just…I want you to be here. It would…It'd make this easier."

" Make what easier, exactly?"

A fearful glance at the arena. Narrowed eyes. A white knuckled hand.

" Jaden…Jaden's not doing so well."

" Not well?"

" He totally dominated the first bit of the duel. You shoulda seen him. He blasted Bastian's monsters away like they were flies. It was awesome!"

" Wish I coulda been there to see it.

" Yeah. Jaden was…well, he was Jaden. But then…"

Silence on the other end of the videophone.

" Then Bastian…did something."

"What?"

" He played this card called Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell. You know, the one that-"

" Basically renders a spell card useless for the entire duel? Yeah, I've heard of it."

" Well, Bastian used it to get rid of Jaden's polymerization."

" Don't tell me…"

" Jaden can't fuse any of his monsters."

" No Rampart Blaster?"

" And no Thunder Giant, no Tempest, no _nothing_!"

The green haired boy, eying the field where Jaden gritted his teeth far below, felt a well of despair rise within him.

" What's he gonna do?"

" How should I know?" The large man on the screen shrugged his massive shoulders. " I only know how to design games, not play them. You're the duelist."

" But I can't see any way for him to win this!"

" Brier." The man in yellow on the screen said in a gravelly voice. Brier looked down at him, biting the inside of his cheek.

" You have to have some faith in Jaden. If you believe he can win, then he can."

"But-"

" Remember when you dueled him?"

_The lingering wind stirred up by Rampart Blaster's attack whipped the leaves of the bush he was hiding in across his face, slapping his cheeks and making him wince. On the other side of the large rock he had concealed himself behind, Beauregard let out a small exclamation of despair. The wind had kicked up a thin coating of dust in the air, and, even as it billowed around his larger friend in beige clouds, Brier could tell, by the sound of fabric hitting the ground with muted thumps and the way Beauregard had thrown up his arms, that their secret had just been uncovered._

_When the Slifer boy had first yelled down the hall that he would be waiting by the Yellow Dorm for a duel that night, Brier had let loose a furious bout of defensive anger. Grabbing the large arm of Beauregard, he's dragged the other boy off, cursing and snarling until his anger had given way to tears. Still sniffling in the corner of an empty classroom, he'd asked Beauregard what he wanted to do. To his utter shock and mild disgust, the native Quebecois boy had had wanted to accept the challenge._

" _Lia's says he's really good." He'd argued. But Brier, who had never gotten along with the sarcastic brunette, scoffed._

" _Shanner wouldn't know a good duelist from a hole in her head."_

" _She's not the only person." Beauregard had insisted. " I've heard other people say that he's good."_

" _Why do want to duel him so bad, anyway?"_

_He'd never gotten a proper answer. Beauregard had simply insisted that dueling Jaden was what he wanted to do, and ignoring his best friend's wishes was never something Brier would let himself do. So, at midnight, Brier had been testing the headset, Beauregard had been straightening his costume, and the both of them could hear the sound of Jaden's voice talking enthusiastically to his friends._

_A few second later, Jaden had entered the clearing with Lia and the small Trusedale boy in tow._

_Brier flinched as startled gasps filled the air._

" _It's Beauregard!" That was the other Slifer. Brier couldn't remember his name for the life of him. " But I thought he couldn't duel."_

" _He __**can't**__." That was Shanner, and she sounded mystified. Despite himself, and the way everything was going wrong, Brier had to smirk._

"_But he's the Duel Giant! Explain that Lia!"_

" _I __**can't**__!" _

" _I can."_

_Jaden's voice cut through his friends' incredulous bickering._

" _Beauregard's the Duel Giant alright." Jaden pointed to behind the rock, almost directly at where Brier was crouching, though he couldn't have known that. " But he's not the one playing."_

" _Oh__, Mon Dieu, il est fou__." Lia hissed._

" _Jay, you're not making any sense."_

" _What I mean is, he's not the brains of this operation! So c'mon out here, __**Brier**__!"_

_A trickle of sweat slid down the small boy's back. There was no way…__**how**__ could the Slifer have possibly known where he was hiding, let alone that he was there? They'd dueled dozens and dozens of Obelisks over the past few weeks, and not one of the blue-clothed duelists had managed to put the pieces together. None of them seemed to realize that what as going on was a team effort, not a one-man show. But then, Brier had always supposed, that was the eternal beauty of it. No one would suspect weak, scared little Brier of being able to take on a single Obelisk, let alone as many as the Duel Giant had conquered. And he was far too small to even be considered. And of course, if anyone suspected Beauregard, the accusation could be waved away by the fact that his hulking friend couldn't duel to save his life._

_So who was this guy, this no-name, stupid little __**Slifer**__ (a __**Slifer **__of all things. That was a humiliation he could hardly bare to swallow) to figure out their scheme._

_He vaulted himself up onto the rock, still adjusting the headset as he went._

" _How did you know?" His voice was calm, but he could feel that same defensive anger that tended to spark up whenever his plans were unraveling beginning to well up in his chest._

" _Well, anyone with eyes could see how angry you were at those Blues who were teasing you earlier today. And then, when I saw that you had this big guy as your friend, I sorta…I dunno, put the pieces together."_

" _But I lost that duel!" Brier snarled, having the distinct feeling that Jaden was mocking him. From somewhere behind the Slifer, Lia scoffed at his tone._

" _So? Losing one duel doesn't make you a failure." Jaden shrugged. " I think you're a kickass duelist who just needs a little confidence."_

" _You're making fun of me!" Brier screamed, the first traces of tears gathering in his over bright eyes. Jaden held his hands up defensively._

" _No I'm not. I think you're a great duelist."_

" _You __**are**__ making fun of me!" Tears of fury streamed down his face. " You're just like everybody else. You see this short little pipsqueak, and you decided to poke fun at me! You call me shrimp, and munchkin, and you tell me I'm a loser who'll never be able to win a match! You're all the same, every last one of you! You all just laugh at me! And you guys wonder why I get nervous in front of crowds?! All my life I've been laughed at for being the short one, the shrimpy one, the five-foot nothing loser! And then…and then I met Beauregard." He put a comforting hand on the other boy's arm. " And I found out that everyone picked on him too. Said he was too big, a giant. So…So that's when we had the idea!" He glared up at the three opposite him and his friend. " We decided we'd make them pay, all of them! We'd beat them all so bad that they'd never wanna play the game again! And we'd take away their most precious cards, so they would know what it felt like to have something ripped away from you, just like they ripped our dignity away from us!"_

_He stopped, his fist clenched, breathing hard from his passionate speech. Jaden stood very still on the other side of the field, looking at the two with something that might have been pity (God, he hated pity), but also have been admiration (that was something new). Syrus was opening and closing his mouth, trying desperately to find the words that could adequately express what he was thinking about. Out of the three people who'd come to find them that night, only Lia seemed to be unimpressed._

_She closed the book she had been steadily plowing through while the duel had raged with a snap, and brushed aside the curl that always fell into her eyes._

" _You're pathetic." She murmured, staring dispassionately up at the sky. Both of her companions whipped around._

" _That isn't nice, Lia." Jaden said in a low voice._

" _It wasn't meant to be." The girl shrugged. " He just whines and complains about the way he's treated, and instead of doing something practical about it, like, say, telling a teacher, or making a stand like I keep encouraging Beauregard to do, he goes the Revenge route. He hides behind a costume and a farce so that he can hurt the bullies, which in turn makes him a bully. If he could just grow a pair and stand up to those people, none of this would be necessary, but obviously, that's beyond him."_

_Brier wasn't sure when he had crossed the distance, but in what seemed like the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of Lia, breathing shallowly through his nose._

" _**Shut**__. __**Up**__." He hissed, but Lia just smirked at his face._

" _Oh, the cowardly midget is getting mad, I'm so freaked."_

_The next second, she was lying on her back in the grass, her right cheek red and stinging._

" _I said," Brier put his hand down, " shut up."_

_Lia sat up slowly, bringing one hand to her aching cheek, eyes wide. She rubbed it absentmindedly, staring up as Brier towered over her, not really seeing him. A dark curl of satisfaction coiled in his chest as he looked at the red that was bleeding onto the usually white skin. It might not have been the first time he'd ever stood up to the Ra girl, but it was the first time any fight between them had gotten physical._

_He was still preening over his victory when Lia's arm shot out and he instinctively ducked to the side. The book she had been holding onto smacked into his shoulder. It hurt, he supposed, but it would've hurt more if it had hit its intended target of his face. As he turned to the right to regain his balance, a fist soared at him, and he fell backwards, clutching at his eye._

" _Don't touch me." Lia snapped, pulling her fist back for another shot. Brier flinched, and covered his face._

" _**Oh**-kay, that's enough of that." Jaden hauled Lia away by her wrist. The girl stared at him, completely befuddled. " Lia, I think you should go sit by Syrus, okay?"_

" _Why?" She asked, pulling her arm back._

" _Because all that Chablis," His pronunciation, Brier noticed, made her shudder, " isn't helping you."_

_Grumbling, but acquiescing to his request nonetheless, Lia walked over to where the other Slifer (**Syrus**, that was his name) was waiting. The boy took Lia's hand and sat her down next to him, looking worriedly between her and Brier._

" _So, back to the duel?" Jaden asked, rubbing the back of his head._

" _I can actually **feel** my eye swelling up." Brier muttered._

" _You wanna call it quits and get ice on it?"_

" _And let you win?" The green haired boy shook his head, darting back over to Beauregard, who smiled shakily down at him. " No way! I can take a little pain."_

_Lia seemed ready to open her mouth to retort, but Syrus rested his hand on her elbow, effectively silencing her._

" _I summon Goblin King in attack mode!" Brier shouted, and the small green goblin, swathed in a crimson robe, appeared on his side of the field._

_Jaden grinned, true to form, and reached to draw another card._

It hadn't been that Jaden had wanted to expose the Duel Giant, Brier had realized later. It wasn't about finding out who was under the jackets, or who was stealing the cards, or even who was beating the Blues. When it came down to it, in Jaden's mind, it hadn't even been about beating the Duel Giant. It had been about _dueling_ him.

Because Jaden, Brier had come to realize, didn't go into a duel worrying about winning or losing. He had a strategy, and he liked winning as much as the next person, but it wasn't what drove him to duel. Glory, riches, and fame just weren't things that interested Jaden. When he said he wanted to be the next King of Games, he meant it. He just didn't want to be the King just so he could call himself the best duelist in the world. He wanted to be the next Game King so that he could show how much he loved the game.

Because that was Jaden's reason for dueling.

Brier looked into the stadium again, where Jaden was breathing deeply and trying to calm his worn nerves, while Bastian taunted him.

Jaden dueled because he loved the game. And that was what let him win.

' _It won't fail him now_.' Brier reassured himself. ' _Beauregard thinks I should have faith in Jaden_."

" _You guys should come and hang out with us at the Slifer dorm. The view is **amazing**!"_

" Well, it looks like we all underestimated Bastian." A cold voice said at Brier's left. The green haired Ra turned his head slightly, and gulped as he took in the form of Zane Trusedale, arms crossed and expression blank. " He's been playing phenomenally. With one card, he crippled Jaden's deck."

" Well, what did you expect Zane?" One of the boys who made up his following said snottily. " I mean, he's a Ra. And that other guy is nothing but a Slifer Slacker."

Brier bristled at the nickname.

" _See, if you have played **this** here, I would have lost for sure!"_

" _You're just saying that."_

" _No way, bro! Your deck is awesome. And you know how to put it to great use. No wonder you two took down all those Blues! They never stood a chance!"_

" He never stood a chance-"

" _You're wrong_!"

The words ripped themselves out of his mouth before he could stop them. All three Blues turned to look at him, expression of varying annoyance at his interruption and amusement at his outburst stretching across their faces. A few months ago, he might have backed down, and then run to Beauregard and planned for each of them to have an encounter with the Duel Giant. But Jaden had beaten him, and the Duel Giant was locked away in a chest in their dorm room, little more than a useless relic. As it was, he felt no urge to crawl away from to intimidating looks. He stuck his chin out, grit his teeth, and stared them all down, daring them to tell him he was wrong.

" You got somethin' to say, pipsqueak?" One of the boys asked, sneering at him.

" My name is Brier." He kept his voice steady. " Brier Tampkin. And you're wrong."

" Wrong?" The other boy snapped, bringing is fist up to punch against his palm. " I think the little shrimp needs to be taught a lesson."

" And I think you two should scram." Zane cut across coolly, not taking his eyes from the match below. The other two looked horror struck, and quickly darted off, throwing a glare over their shoulders at Brier who returned it.

" Wrong?' Zane asked after a moment of silence. Brier nodded.

" Jaden won't lose." He leaned on the railing.

"How can you be so sure?"

" I don't know. I just know he won't lose."

" Blind faith…" Zane murmured. " It's a foolish thing."

" 'Fools rush in where angels dare not tread.'" Brier quipped.

" There's a reason for that."

" Maybe." Brier agreed as Bastian ordered his Water Dragon to destroy Sparkman. " But no one ever said the angels weren't missing out on something."

**_**

As it was, Brier found himself feeling entirely justified when, several cards, several impressive moves, and several jaw dropping turns later, Jaden managed to get his Wildheart and his Cyclone Boomerang to destroy Bastian's spell card, and with it, the last of his life point.

" You should try following the fool sometime Zane." Brier said as he hopped over the railing and darted down the stairs to where the others where all sitting, stunned, in their seats. " You might like where he takes you."

And then he was cheering until his throat went hoarse, along with the rest of the school, for their representative in the upcoming School Duel.

In his hurry to get down to the arena, where everyone was congregating around Jaden, hugging him and cheering him on, Brier brushed past a black haired boy in a signature, dark blue Obelisk coat. No one, not even Brier, noticed as the boy threw one venom filled glance in Jaden's direction, before storming out of the stadium.

* * *

Ah, the return of The Wicked Bitch of Ra Yellow. Just as a bit of a reminder of hwo cruel Lia can be, given her cute, lost puppy attitude from last chapter. As a bit of a headsup, after this point, I will be starting to focus a littel more on the duels, and the dialogue between the duelists. i figured that I've given you all enough of a peek into how Lia perceives duels to last you a lifetime.

So, not many translation for this chapter. At elast, none taht I can really see. Um, Chablis is a type of wine, and it's kinda inplied taht Lia had a _little_ to much before going on the stake out. Why? who knows.

Syrus putting his hand on Lia - It's to show exactly how much power Syrus does infact have over Lia. He can get her to be quiet, quite a feat in itself.

Tapmkin- Comes from 'tampum, which is Portegeuse for cover. Cover=patch. Brier Patch. Get it? ...I'm pathetic, I know.

And that's really about all I can think of...I'm gonna be using the 'following the fool' thing again in later Years, so look for it. Other than taht,

Hope you enjoyed it.

MoS

P.S.- Seriously, I NEED that folder back! That's it Jaden. Love triangel with Chumley and C_rowler_ if I don't ahve it in my hands by the end of the next chapter!


	26. The Interlude

Warnings: A little language from the Blues, and Alexis making us all proud as hell. That's about it. And Lia. Really, do I even need to say that?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

He was tired.

Scratch that. He was _beyond_ tired.

He was fairly sure he'd never been so tired in his life.

From his position on the rooftop over looking the surrounding forest and the outstretched sea (it was a breath taking sight, even after seven months of seeing it almost every other day. There days when he would quietly wonder if all this wasn't some fantastic dream he had created in his head, and he would wake up from a several-month long coma in the real world, to find out that Duel Academy, along with his friends, didn't exist), Jaden gave a large yawn, and fell back so that he was lying on the warm stone.

Beside his head, his Winged Kuriboh popped into existence, cooing softly and fluttering its shimmering wings so that it could lie comfortably next to the brunet. Jaden cracked one eye open to look at the furry creature, smiling gently at it when it returned his glance with an excited, but tempered, flap of its wings.

" You beat too, buddy?" An affirmative cooing noise. " I hear ya. I can barely stay awake in class. Thank God they let me off my dueling classes, huh pal?"

The Kuriboh gave another happy cooing, and flipped over so that the sun, which was blazing at high noon overhead, could warm its wings.

" Good idea." Jaden shifted his hands under his head, yawning again. With the warm sun in the sky above him, and the cool, salty breeze blowing in off the ocean, and the soft puff of his duel spirit's breathing at his ear, Jaden felt a buzz settle in on his senses as he started to doze.

" No harm…in catching up on some sleep, right Kuriboh?" He murmured sleepily. " I could use a nap."

It had been an admittedly hard week for him.

He had won his duel with Bastian (of course he had. It wasn't overconfidence that made him say that, it was just a weird sense that he was the one who was supposed to fight in this duel, not the Ra, although he had to admit, Bastian had given him more than a run for his money.), and subsequently, had earned the title of Duel Academy's Representative in the School Duel. It was, as he had been told numerous times, a moment for the history books. No Slifer, in the eight years that the school had been open (to Duelists and Academics alike), had ever been chosen to rep the school in such a contest. They were always overlooked, passed over in favour of the Ra's and the Obelisks. To have one as the school rep was beyond the wildest imaginations of some. And while his friends had been utterly thrilled (his cheek still burned a little from where Lia had kissed it swiftly in congratulations, away from where anyone else could see), Jaden was well aware that the news of his success had come as ill tidings to some.

Jaden had anticipated hostility. He had expected the Slifers to be delighted, the Ra's to be grudgingly accepting (it _was_ one of their own he'd managed to take down), and the Obelisk Blues to be cruel, condescending, and spiteful. While he had quickly ruled Alexis (and Zane, for some unexplained reason. Lia couldn't seem to understand why, and Syrus had told her that Zane probably couldn't care less. But Jaden had his own reasons. Though the older boy hadn't actually said anything explicitly, Jaden had a sneaking suspicion that he owed his nomination to the Obelisk.) out of that category, given the way she spent her lunches hanging out with the group, he had mentally prepared himself for an onslaught of prejudice and fury.

And he hadn't been disappointed.

" _There's no way that Slacker beat a Ra fairly!"_

" _Yeah, he must've cheated! There's no other explanation!"_

" _He can't rep us in the School Duel."_

" _What was the Chancellor thinking?!"_

" _Well, he had to pick a first-year…"_

" _So why didn't he pick one of the Obelisk first-years?! Or even a Ra?! At least then, we wouldn't be humiliated!" _

" _Now North Academy's gonna flatten us!"_

" _In case you guys missed the duel," Brier said testily, standing directly between Jaden and the dozen or so angry students that had gathered on the green, " Jaden __**beat**__ Bastian fair and square."_

" _A Slifer can't beat a Ra!" One of the Obelisks piped up. " That's not the way things are done around here."_

" _Jaden won." Brier said through gritted teeth, crossing his arms over his chest. Behind him, Jaden looked sheepishly over at Beauregard, who was keeping an close eye on his smaller friend, ready to jump in and lend his bulk if need be. Chumley did the same, from his positioned leaning against the tree._

" _By __**cheating**__!" The Obelisk railed. " A Slifer should never be able to beat a Ra! There are certain rules at this Academy, and __**he's**__ not following them!"_

" _So he's supposed to throw a match because of the __**rules**__?!" Brier snarled viciously. " That's fucked up!"_

" _The Obelisks are the best in the school!" Another boy continued. " They are the best of the best, a cut above the others who're here. Below them are the Ra's, who are good, but not great. And then there are the Slifers. The scum, the waste, the __**embarrassmen**__t of this establishment! An Obelisk is unbeatable. A Ra can't beat an Obelisk, and a Slifer can't beat a Ra."_

" _Jaden played better than Bastian." Chumley piped up from the tree. " He won because he was the better duelist, and that's what really counts in the arena. Not what colour your jacket is."_

" _Stay outta this, lard ass!" Another Obelisk snapped. " Keep your big mouth shut unless you're chowin' down. That's all it's good for."_

_Jaden had stiffened at the comment, and Brier's eyes had begun to blaze as Chumley looked away in shame, but before either boy could make a move (either to challenge the offender to a duel, or simply to punch their lights out) a pebble came sailing out of nowhere, clonking the boy clean on the back of his head. He stumbled, went pitching forward, and then landed flat on his face, swearing colourfully._

" _Who threw that?!" He raged as he sat up and whipped around, rubbing the back of his aching skull. " Which dead sonovabitch threw that?! Get over here so I can-"_

" _Shut it asshole." Lia seethed as she pushed her way through the gathered crowd. Behind her, Bastian walked with a dignified air in between the duelists, and Alexis stormed by, face dark with fury. Behind them, Syrus actually shoved a Blue out of the way as he ran to where Chumley was, glaring pure hatred out at the boy on the ground._

" _What did you just call me?!" He ground out, jumping to his feet. " Do you know who I am?!"_

_Lia shoved passed him, elbowing him hard in the gut to get to the table where Jaden was watching the goings on with wide, shocked eyes._

" _The jackass who won't get outta my way?"_

_He grabbed her arm, and made to yank her back, but Alexis surged forward and snatched his arm, gripping it in a vice and watching him wince as her well-manicured fingernails dug into his skin._

" _You touch her and I'll have my Etoile Cyber shove her boot so far up your ass that you'll be spitting out shoe laces for a week." She marched passed the gathered malcontents, sitting down next to Jaden. " That goes for anyone of my friends."_

" _Alexis!" The guy squealed in shock._

"_How can you take their side?!"_

" _What are you doing slumming with a bunch of Slifers?! You have a reputation to think about!"_

" _A rep? You think I care about what you bigots think of me?"_

" _You…what?"_

_Alexis reached over, and placed a hand on Jaden's arm, while staring at the boys of her dorm with steely eyes._

" _If you want me to pick sides, then fine. I choose the Slifer Reds."_

_There was a stunned, almost frightened, silence. While it had never been said out loud, and Alexis went to great pains to hide it, there was a sense that what she had been doing (befriending them, talking to them, hanging out with them, laughing with them, telling them her secrets, growing up a little bit with them) was not something that was widely accepted at the school. And while no Slifer was going to even think of telling the Queen of Obelisk Blue how she should be acting, her own subjects had watched her warmly interact with the people that were considered to be so much lower than her, and hated it. It might have been that Crowler had finally gotten to all of them, or might be so twisted form of jealousy (the boys of Slifer Red could get Alexis to laugh hysterically in less than two seconds. Several boys in Obelisk Blue had failed to get her to even crack a smile in over a year of knowing her), but really, the teenagers who surrounded Jaden were not overly surprised at the words that came tumbling out of the shocked Blue's mouth._

" _You…You __**Sympathizer**__!"_

_If it was meant to hurt her, it failed._

_Alexis smirked._

" _And proud."_

While the crowd had been stunned enough by their Queen's confession (was it really a confession? Didn't confessions have to be tinged with shame? There was no shame in Alexis' voice.), it had not managed to quell any of the furious feelings of the Obelisk sections of the school. If anything, it had only serves to fan the flames even more, the Blues spurred on by the belief that taking Jaden down would return Alexis to where they seemed to believe she rightfully belonged.

He was challenged, he remembered, to three separate duels in one day. While he had won, each duel had cost him in energy and spirit more than he dared to admit.

And then Crowler had introduced Belowski.

" _Whoa, who are you?"_

_The small boy in the raggedy Obelisk Blue coat gave a dismissing wave, leaning back to stare up at the clouds._

" _People call me Beolowski. So I guess you can too. Awesome hair by the way."_

_Jaden ran a hand through his mussed brown bangs, sticking his lower lip out in a childish pout._

" _Thanks…" He trailed off, not quite sure how he was supposed to response to such a statement. " What are you doing up here, …ah…"_

" _Belowski." The boy supplied, without taking his eyes off the clouds. " I know, it's a weird name. I don't know what it means, so I just let it mean what I want it to mean."_

" _Huh?"_

" _You know, how like things don't have meaning until you give it to them. Nothing in the world means anything until you put some meaning into it. You know what I mean?"_

" _Not really." Jaden shook his head, sliding down to crossed legs on the roof. Belowski sat up, stretched his arms out, and turned to look at Jaden out of sleepy, half-lidded eyes._

" '_Kay, let me get you an example. Something close to home…" The boy trailed off in thought. " Got it! Take like, the colour scheme."_

" _The what?"_

" _The colour rankings they use at this place. Did you think red was bad before you came to Duel Academy?"_

" _I don't think it's bad now."_

" _You, m'man, are a rare breed. Everyone else just starts thinkin' of red as total shit, and blue as being the all powerful super colour. It's totally twisted, right? But that's what I mean. Nothing has meaning until you give some to it. So, s'far as I'm concern, Belowski means 'rockin' little dude'. Cool, huh?"_

" _I guess. I mean, sure, why not?"_

" _What's your name mean?"_

" _I don't actually…well, I'm not sure what Jaden means, but…"_

" _But what bro? What do you __**want**__ it to mean?"_

_Jaden blinked, looking at the smaller boy. His pants were torn just under the knee, frayed at the edges and smudged with dirt. He was wearing a graying, teal T-shirt with numerous rips up and down the side, the sleeve quite obviously ripped off some time ago. His Obelisk Blue coat was in no better condition, hanging loosely off his shoulders, beat up and uneven at the ends. His hair was unkempt and flyaway, giving him a disheveled, almost scruffy look. But, despite all the disarming aspects of his appearance, there was shrewd intelligence in his eyes that was almost masked by the lids that hung so low over them. It took Jaden an instant, but a feeling of kindred souls drew him closer to the boy, urging him to lay down next to Belowski and watch the clouds._

" _Game King." He decided quickly. " I want my name to mean Game King."_

" _Thought that's what the Big Man's name was." Belowski grinned as Jaden settled down next to him._

" _Who?"_

" _You know, The __**Big Man.**__"_

" _You mean Yuugi?"_

" _That's the one, m'man."_

" _Yuugi is actually Japanese for 'game'. It suits him, huh?"_

" _Really? That's far out, dude. How'd you know that?"_

" _Well, I'm from Japan."_

" _Really? Is it true what they say about you Asians?"_

" _What?"_

" _Small everything, man. Small __**everything**__."_

" …_I'm not going to answer that. But yeah, I'm Japanese. __Hajimemashite, Yuki Juudai desu__." He made a bow. " Douzo yoroshiku."_

" _What?"_

" _I said: How do you do? I'm Juudai Yuki. Nice to meet you."_

" _But I thought your name was Jaden."_

" _It is, it's just…Juudai is my nickname back home, and I've gotten used to answering to it. It's been a while since I've used Japanese, and I guess I sorta…just fell back into the habit."_

" _What' J'u…um…"_

" _Juudai."_

" _What's it mean, bro?"_

" _It's the word for teenagers. It can also mean serious, important, or significant."_

" _Cool, bro. So you wanna get down to the duel now?"_

" _Why do you want to duel me so bad?"_

" _It's kinda a favour for Dr. C, you know?" Belowski sat up again, placing his duel disk on his wrist. " He doesn't like you much, man. Too bad, 'cause you're awesome to talk to. The Moki-Moki's like you too. I can tell, bro."_

" _The who?" Jaden stood up too, putting his duel disk on._

"_My monster bros!" Belowski waved his arms around. " Like that flying Kuriboh buddy of yours!"_

_Jaden stopped dead._

" _You can __**see**__ Winged Kuriboh?"_

" _Sure can, dude. Why the surprise?"_

" _No one else can see him."_

" _No one? Not any of your dueling bros?"_

" _Nope. Nobody can see him."_

" _Too bad bro. Looks like there ain't a lot of people with 'The Gift'."_

" _The Gift?"_

" _Yeah, you know, the power to see Duel Spirits. Very few people have the Gift, but if you do, it means something."_

" _What?"_

_Belowski shrugged._

" _Dunno. But Dr. C used to say that I was destined for great things, so maybe you are too."_

It had been…interesting to say the least. Jaden let the sun heat his face as he recalled the way the other boy had somehow managed to put all his friends under a trance as he dueled away.

" _Jaden Yuki!"_

_Jaden whipped around just Belowski played his first Moki-Moki. While Alexis, Bastian, and Chumley all fawned over the apparent adorable-ness of the little monster, Lia and Syrus came darting onto the roof, Syrus in the lead, Lia looking murderous._

" _Just where have you been?!" She stormed up to him, jabbing finger into his chest. " Syrus and I have been looking all over for you. Where do you get off running out on all of us when we're trying to help you?!"_

" _Koneko-cha-"_

" _Not in public!"_

" _Lia, I'm sorry. It's just…I had to get some alone time."_

" _Couldn't you get some alone time later?" Syrus asked. " We were really worried about you."_

" _You were worried." Lia crossed her arms and looked away from him. " I was just pissed because he ran out on us."_

" _Hey there, pretty lady!"_

_Lia jumped and let out a small shriek, tumbling backwards into Jaden's startled arms. Belowski had somehow managed to dart across the field, and stood in front of them, smiling benignly up at Lia._

"_I'm Belowski." He said._

" _Charmed." Lia said, dazedly, as she pulled herself out of Jaden's grasp. " I'm Lia."_

" _Oh I know." Belowski said pleasantly. " I've heard about you from my monster bros. Some times they sneak out on me, go exploring, you know."_

_Lia nodded, but Jaden could see her trying to formulate a plan to run._

" _You wanna go out some time, catch a duel, get something to eat?"_

_Lia's jaw dropped right to the ground, and, with the shock coupled with the drowsy effects of the Moki-Moki waiting patiently on the other side of the field, fainted dead away._

Jaden was pulled abruptly from his musings when a phantom weight bounced on his chest.

He shot up in his seat, eyes wide, and looked around. But there was nothing for miles except his Kuriboh, which was up and floating, cooing worriedly.

" It's nothing, pal. I just thought I saw-"

There! Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of dark purple. He turned to look, but it was gone. Another flash, this time to his right. He turned. There was nothing. A soft thump sounded behind him. he whipped around so fast he swore he got whiplash, but there was nothing there.

" What in the Hell…" He muttered, rubbing his sore neck.

And then, from the direction he was just facing, a soft noise came.

" Ru-bi. Ru-bi ru-bi."

Jaden turned, fully expecting to see nothing, and stopped dead.

Seated in front of him, large ears alert and huge reddish eyes focused on him and his Kuriboh, was a small, purple, cat-like duel spirit.

* * *

Yeah, I went there.

Hey, how's it going? Everybody enjoy Canada Day? (And Independence Day, to my American readers).

Well, shall we move on to some translations? What do you think, _Jaden_?

Jaden: (from around the gag tied around his mouth) Thiff if kwool ud unooshuell!

...What?

Jaden: (hops up and down while tied to chair) A sed-

Yeah, great, fine whateverr, nobody cares. Anywho, translations?

Jaden: (rolls eyes) Kvasie biff.

I heard that. I may not be able to understand it, but I heard it.

Slacker Sympathizer - The greatest insult the Blues can hurl at anybody. ...What a bunch of pansies, huh?

Brier and Beauregard - They will be sticking around for a while...they might get cut out a little as we delve intot eh Sacred Beasts saga, but I have some plans in the making for Year Two...

Jaden's Japanese - Under no circumstnaces does that count as fangirl Japanese. I searched for a creditable site before I used it to find out how to introduce oneself in Japanese. And I have an excuse fot using it. Jaden is making an example! Not. Fangirl! JAPANESE!

Belowski hitting on Lia - Really, he's like 17 or 18, and he's been locked up for god only knows how long. He's gonna hit on the first thing he sees. Lia just happened to be the only conscious at the time. And Lia fainting is always funny.

The'mysterious' duel spirit on the roof - Oh yes. I did.

Jaden: Di waf?

...Just stop talking okay? Stop talking, and resign yourself to your fate.

Jaden: Waf fatef?

The fate in which I hand you over to an uncensored version of Yubel and let her have her freaky, hermaphordite, dragon way with you if you don't give me back my folder of plot points.

Jaden: Oh, sof _nyao_ ou com undastank m-(eeys widen. Fidgets frantically. The gag comes loose) _YUBEL_?!

Damn. Cheap dollar store gags...they never stay on as long as you need them to.

Jaden: (Terrified) But...But...But she's _half DRAGON_! That's _beastiality_!

She's also half dude and half chick.

Jaden: (blanches) _Since WHEN_?!

In the original. 4kids tried very hard to hide her more masculine aspects, and her sado-moaschistic sense of love. They failed horribly, if you ask me.

Jaden: (twitching)

Oh, what are you so scared of? You're the Supreme King, ain't ya?

Jaden: Please, oh please please, pleasepleaseplease_please_! I will give you total reign over my body, you can kill anyone you want, hell, you can take over the world, just _please_ get me outta this!

Jay, what are you doing?

Jaden: Trying to get Haou to agree to bail me out.

Oh _Hell_ no!

Jaden: What?

No! I will _not_ have _my_ fanfic ruined by some psychotic, fail-version of Yami no Yuugi! No! Not happening!

Jaden: Um...

What?

Jaden: Haou doesn't like being called a 'fail-version' anything.

Oh yeah? (marches up to Jaden, grabs his ear, and starts yelling in it) You got a problem with me, Supreme King? Huh? Is that it? You wanna go? 'Cause we'll go. Right here, right now. We'll go, and I will _end_ you!

Jaden: Don't you need him for Year Three?

...So you _have_ read the folder.

Jaden: Eep!

Tell me everythign you know and I might let you live!

Jaden: No way! You can't make me talk!

Oh really?

Jaden: Really.

Oh _Yuu~bel!_

(What do you guys think? Should Jaden be saved, or should he get what's coming to him for stealing my folder? Find out how this confrontation will end next week!)

MoS

Jaden: For the love of God, somebody save me! Lexi! Sy! Um...somebody else...from...later on in the show- oh, fuck plot twists- Jesse, get your Southern ass out here and _help ME_!


	27. The Arrival

Warnings: Speculation ahead.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

Jaden: Oh, dear sweet God, thank you for small miracles!

Yubel: Jaden? Jaden where are you? Come out, come out wherever you are~!

Jaden: Ho shit!(runs off)

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Jaden stared at the spirit.

The spirit stared at Jaden.

Jaden stared back at it.

The spirit stared at him.

He stared into the spirit's red eyes.

The spirit looked right into his.

Jaden leaned forward a little bit.

The spirit leaned over just a little.

Jaden tilted his head to the right.

The spirit tilted its head to the left.

Jaden blinked.

" Okay, you win." He said, closing his eyes and pulling back. The spirit sniffed, and began to preen itself in the sun.

Over his shoulder, Winged Kuriboh watched the other spirit with restless fascination. Jaden, though he wanted to tell his winged buddy that it was rude, couldn't find the heart to tell him to stop. After all, this was the first other duel spirit either of them had seen since coming to Duel Academy. (To be perfectly fair, it wasn't as if Jaden had seen the spirits at all, let alone ones besides his Kuriboh, before coming to Duel Academy. He'd certainly heard things, but a physical, actually _visual_, manifestation had never happened before that faithful run-in on his entrance exam day.)

Jaden sat back on his hands and blew a pesky strand of hair out of his face. Winged Kuriboh, he noticed, was inching closer to the other spirit, who had stopped preening, and was staring up at Jaden expectantly.

" What?" He asked.

The duel spirit blinked its enormous eyes, and then took a flying leap at him, landing paws first on his chest and knocking him over. He landed on his back, staring up at the sky, Winged Kuriboh hovering over him, making the worried cooing noises again. Abruptly, the vision was filled with the up close and personal face of the other duel spirit.

" Did you need something?"

The spirit leaned forward, sniffing at him. It blinked, narrowed its eyes, and leaned further in, nosing around his eyes and nose and mouth, and then smelling his forehead and his ears. Jaden felt, miraculously, the cold brush of its small, black nose against his skin, and bit back a laugh as its warm little breath tickled his skin. The spirit pulled back, and looked at him again, tilting its head to the side.

" So do I pass inspection?" He couldn't resist giving a charming grin.

" Ru-bi bi!" The spirit chirped, bobbing its head up and down.

And then Winged Kuriboh knocked it off of Jaden's chest with one swipe of its wing.

The other spirit went flying backward, tumbling head over heels as it tried to right itself. In an impressive display, it landed in a crouch on all fours about half a meter away, hissing angrily at the brown mop of fur.

" Hey, Winged Kuriboh, that wasn't nice." Jaden reprimanded. " How do expect to make friends when you-"

He was cut off, however, as a purple blur lunged through the air and tackle the floating fur ball to the roof. As Jaden watched, torn between being horrified and starting to laugh, the two spirits began to tussle, rolling back and forth, scratching and clawing at each other. The foreign spirit was hissing and spitting like an angry cat, and the cooing noises that issued from the hidden mouth of Winged Kuriboh had taken on a more violent tone. The two rolled around for two more minutes, forming a small dust cloud, before Jaden decided he should step in.

" Hey!" He called, trying to get their spirits' attention. He was ignored. " _Hey_!" Still, the spirits kept going. " _**HEY**_!"

The two rolled to a stop, looking up at him. The cat-spirit had Winged Kuriboh pinned down with its claws, and the furry creature had positioned its legs under the spirit on top of it and was getting ready to kick it off. Both of them blinked.

" Knock it off you two." Jaden pulled them apart. " That's no way to treat each other. Kuriboh, apologize for smacking…unh,…you got a name?"

" Ru-bi!" The spirit answered.

" Apologize for smacking, ah…Ruby." The Kuriboh looked rebellious. " Winged Kuriboh." The fur ball cooed sulkily under its breath, looking away from the other spirit. " And Ruby, next time, don't keep fighting. Just ignore him, okay?"

Ruby nodded.

" Now then." Jaden settled down onto his stomach, and looked the new addition over. " Who do you belong to, pretty girl?"

" Ru-bi, ru-bi ru-bi. Ru-bi bi bi. Ru-bi." The spirit chirped again, swishing her tail back and forth. At the end of the tail there was, Jaden noticed, a deep red orb, flashing in the sun overhead.

" I can't understand you. Sorry pretty girl."

Ruby's great ears (two sets of them, making him feel twice as bad) drooped. Seeing such a forlorn expression on the spirit's face didn't sit right with Jaden, and he set out to make it right.

" How about this, Ruby-girl. You ride around on my shoulder, and we'll walk around the campus, you, me, and Kuriboh. If you see someone familiar, you let me know, okay?"

" Ru-bi bi!" The little spirit bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically, and jumped at Jaden again, littering his face with tiny kisses.

" Okay, okay, down Ruby-girl, that tickles." He picked her up (well, as well as anyone _could_ pick up a spirit. Funny, she certainly _felt_ solid. Maybe that was another aspect of the Gift), and placed her on his shoulder. He stood up a little shakily, but managed to remain upright. Ruby shifted on his shoulder until she was comfortable, and gave a small chirp to let him know she was alright.

" Ready? Okay the, let's go find your partner."

**_**

Somewhere along the walk around the campus of Duel Academy, Winged Kuriboh had claimed his other shoulder as a resting place. While the fuzzball made out like it was tired, Jaden could see him shooting Ruby suspicious glances now and then out of the corner of his eye. Mentally shaking his head (because shaking it for real would upset the two monsters that rested on either of his shoulders) at the silliness of it all, he paused by the cliff near his dorm, staring out at the crisp, blue water.

" Well, we've been everywhere, Ruby-girl. I dunno where else to look for your partner."

The duel spirit on his left gave a sad chirp, and curled into his neck, keening softly. Jaden felt his heart go out to her, and reached his hand out to comfort her.

And then Fate intervened.

" Ruby! Ru-by!" A voice shouted, coming closer. "Where'd ya get to girl?! RU-BY!"

Jaden stood up, jarring Winged Kuriboh for his nap, as a boy about his age came running around the corner of the path.

He had bright turquoise hair, Jaden registered, and was wearing a worried (bordering dangerously on panicking) expression. His eyes (bright green, to stand out again his hair. An unusual combination, but it wasn't unpleasant.) darted back and forth over the terrain as he called out. His eyes glanced over Jaden once, and then, coming to a complete and abrupt stop, rushed back as if Jaden was emitting a magnetic force. The green eyes stared disbelievingly at the small feline-like, semi-transparent creature curled up on his shoulder for about five seconds.

And then the boy was hurtling towards the three, almost crying in relief.

" Ruby!" He shouted, skidding to a stop and righting himself dangerously close to Jaden's face. The boy yanked Ruby off of Jaden's shoulder and held her, staring at her form like he couldn't believe she existed.

"Ruby! Ah've been so worried!" He reprimanded in a voice tinged with a Southern accent. " Don't go running off on me lahke that again, y'hear? I plum almost lost mah mahnd when Ah saw your were gone!"

The boy smiled at him brilliantly.

" Ah can't thank you enough for fahnding her. Ah hope she wasn't any trouble."

" Naw, she was great." Jaden grinned at the spirit. " Right, Ruby-girl?"

To his utter shock, Ruby wiggled out of the boy's grasp, darted over his desperately reaching arm, and landed primly on Jaden's shoulder, curling up again and looking at the other boy with narrowed eyes.

" Wha- Hey!" Jaden stared at Ruby. " What's wrong with you? Isn't this the guy we were looking for?"

The cat-like monster sniffed, and turned her nose up at the boy, who was starting to look heartbroken.

" Ruby, stop tha-" But a wail cut him off.

" Oh, it's _hopeless_!" The boy shouted bringing his hands up to yank at his vibrant hair. " No matter what Ah do, it's always the same. She won't talk to me, she won't duel with me, she won't even _look_ at me! What am Ah doing wrong?!"

He sank down to his knees, still pulling at his hair, and degenerated off into a language Jaden couldn't understand, whacking himself on the head quite violently.

" Stop it!" Jaden grabbed the wrist of his hand before the other boy could smack himself again. The boy looked up at Jaden in surprise. " Beating yourself won't solve the problem."

" But ya don't even know what the problem is." The boy pointed out. Jaden rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

" Yeah, sometimes my mouth starts going before my mind finishes the thought." He jabbed a thumb at Ruby. " I assume this is your duel spirit."

" She's supposed ta be." The boy grumbled. " But every tahme Ah try to bond with her, or get her to talk to me, she just vanishes, and Ah can't fahnd her. Ah'm a failure at this!"

"Hey, hey." Jaden said gently, trying to stop the flood of tears he was worried would soon follow the outbursts. " Maybe she's just having an off day."

The boy shook his head.

" No, she's been like this ever since Ah got the deck a few weeks ago."

" It's a new deck?" Jaden sat down on the grass.

" Yeah, Ah got it just recently." The boy followed his example. " When Ah got it, the man said it as supposed to be mahne. It reacted to me. But, ever since then, Ruby's…" The boy trailed off, biting his lip. " She wants nothing to do with me. She tries to get away from me at evereh turn."

" Really? She seemed pretty eager to find you when I met her." The boy looked up.

" For…For real?" He breathed.

" Yeah, we've been all over campus, looking for you." Jaden leaned back on his elbows, looking up at the sky. " She got really depressed when it looked like we weren't going to find you."

" She missed me?" The boy looked over at the purple spirit, who as lazing in the grass next to Winged Kuriboh. " Then whah won't she stay with me?"

" Maybe she wants you to prove yourself." Jaden said.

" But…all the other ones think Ah can do it."

That got Jaden's attention.

" Other ones?"

" Yeah, the other Crystal Beasts believe in me."

" Crystal…Beasts?"

The boy's face suddenly lit up, as though he had just been told that both Christmas and his birthday had been rescheduled for the next day.

" Yeah, they're a part of my new deck!" The boy waved his hands around enthusiastically. " Ah had just gotten the cards, and Ah was holding them, and thinking about how Ah was gunna use them and how awesome it was gunna be, and suddenly, when Ah opened mah eyes again, and there they were!" The boy sighed. " It was incredible. Like…like having a _real_ family again."

Jaden ignored the last bit, something in his gut telling him that it had been meant to be said privately.

" Well, do you think you might have done something to offend her in anyway?"

" Ah haven't done anything-" The boy stopped. " Well, there is one thahing."

" What it is?" Jaden encouraged. The boy rubbed the back of his head, and looked away.

" Ah…Ah sorta…dropped outta the School Duel."

Jaden's eyes bugged.

" What?!"

" Ah know, Ah know." The boy misread his exclamation. " It's was stupid, but Ah just felt that the deck was too new. Ah wasn't used to it yet, ya' know? Ah felt like I wouldn't be able t'give mah opponent mah very best, and that'd be an insult. You can understand that, can't ya?"

Jaden looked at the boy, really looked at him, and the first flush of kindred spirits rose and fanned itself into a roaring flame.

" Yeah, I can. It would be right if you didn't give it your all."

A wide grin split the boy's face.

" You get it! Everehone else just kept houndin' me about whah Ah chose t'drop out. They just don't get why Ah couldn't do it. But mah Beasts all seem to think it was the rahght thing t'do. Everehone of 'em, 'cept for Ruby Carbuncle."

The spirit looked up at the sound of her name.

" She musta come and found you after she ran off on me 'cause she could feel your power."

" The gift?"

" Is that what y'all are calling it over here? We call it the power back at North. There aren't a lot of people-"

" Who have it." Jaden finished for him. " So I've been told."

"People who do have it usually give off this kinda…aura, y'know. Like a signal to the duel spirits. They can sense people who can see them, and then they gravitate towards 'em. Ruby musta sensed ya when she got to the ahsland. When she ran off and got lost, she went looking for the other person with the aura."

The boy smiled at him, a softer, kinder smile than the mega watt one he'd been giving a few seconds ago, and Jaden returned with one of his own without realizing it. The two sat in companionable silence for a while, just watching their two duel spirits and listening to the sound of the waves crashing below, until Jaden looked down at his wristwatch.

" Ku-!" He started, but cut himself off. With a mental string of curses in his native tongue, Jaden shot up.

" I gotta, go, sorry." He inclined his head. " I'll be super late if I don't, and my friends will roast me. See ya! Oh, and don't worry about Ruby. She'll come round. You're way too nice for her to be ticked at forever. Ja ne!" He rushed off, not even realizing he'd said goodbye in Japanese.

It wasn't until he was rushing into the arena to meet his opponent form North Academy that Jaden realized he hadn't gotten the other boy's name.

**_**

Jesse Anderson was having one of _those_ weeks.

It had started with his stepping down from position of school representative in the school duel. While Chancellor Foster hadn't been happy with his decision, he had understood where Jesse was coming from, and allowed the boy to step down.

The students of North Academy had been less understanding.

They'd screamed at him, called him a coward, called him so many awful names his head spun, cussed him out in the hallways, threatened to beat him up (luckily, a passing teacher had put that idea out of their heads) and so many other things that Jesse decided not thinking about it was the better alternative. (He knew they would eventually come 'round and see it his way, but while they didn't, it hurt.)

Then Chazz had shown up, blowing everyone away and claiming the top spot. Jesse, who had been closeted away in his room, talking to his new family, had flat out refused to duel him. Chazz had scoffed, called him a weak coward, and then stormed off. Normally, Jesse would not have let words like that affect him, but as Chazz turned the corner, Jesse had seen a small little bubble of yellow float up beside Chazz and whisper in his ear.

When it was announced that Chazz would take Jesse's place as North Academy's representative in the School Duel, all Jesse could think about was that Chazz Princeton had 'the Power' as well.

Then finally, when he'd gotten back to his room after the assembly, he'd found his beasts in various states of disappointment over his decision. Most of them seemed ready, or getting ready, to accept it though.

Ruby Carbuncle was another story.

She'd taken one look at his face, and promptly vanished into thin air.

It had continued like that for the rest of the week.

Ruby refused to talk to him, refused to come out when he called her, and, worst of all, refused to look at him when she did materialize.

The entire submarine ride to Duel Academy had been spent in his cabin, listening to his other beasts, Sapphire Pegasus and Topaz Tiger in particular, try to reassure him that he had made the right choice regarding the School Duel, and Ruby would understand that, eventually.

His hopes hadn't been raised much when, as soon as he had stepped off the submarine, Ruby appeared and darted off, seemingly desperate to get away from him. He'd chased after her, but she could fly (for brief moments) and he could not, and he had quickly lost sight of her.

And then that boy in red had returned her to him.

Jesse had never seen anyone quite like the boy in red (because he had been stupid enough to forget to ask for the other boy's name, in addition to not giving his own.). Another person with the Power (he had called it the Gift) with whom he could actually sit down and talk without the fear of being thought of as crazy. It had been wonderful, to just sit there on the grass, with the ocean behind them, expelling all of the negative thoughts and feelings and anxieties that had been building up over the past week. The boy had been very quiet while Jesse talked, but the boy from North could tell that the other one was listening, from the way he tilted his head and the way his eyes seemed to light up at the mention of there being more Crystal Beasts to talk to.

All in all, Jesse was feeling much better by the time he sat down with the rest of his classmates in Duel Academy's duel stadium. The camera crews that had been hired by Chazz's brothers zoomed back and forth, snagging shots of cheering teenagers and proudly smiling teachers. In the dead center of the arena stood the weird blond head of Obelisk. He was grinning creepily, and the pink frills at the edge of his blue coat did nothing for the argument that he was, in fact, male. Jesse shuddered, and was reminded of why, though Duel Academy was the most technologically advanced of the five 'Academies', going there would mean having to put up with the strange she-male Dr. Crowler, and that was a task Jesse really didn't think he was up to.

A hush fell over the crowd as both Sheppard and Foster stood up.

" Attention students!" Sheppard boomed. " Welcome to the School Duel!"

" And now," continued Foster, " let this year's competition finally begin!"

" Dr. Crowler, if you please?"

" Right, of course, Chancellor!" The blond man jumped to attention. " Representing Duel Academy in this year's School Duel, The first – and hopefully _last_- Slifer to _ever_ represent this school in such an event,"

Jesse's breath caught in his throat as the boy in red jumped up onto the stage, staring unfathomably at Chazz.

" _Jaden Yuki!"_

* * *

You all love me for this, and you know it.

Seriously, I am so happy I went there. I even got a T-shirt (hold's up T-shirt that reads: 'I went there, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt') I've always wanted one of these! (hugs shirt)

So, here was are again, my dear friends. It's chapter 27, and I have great news! I'm almost done the Year. Just a few more chapters - liek five or so, I think - and then I'm done year One, and can start on Year Two! Yes, Society of Light and the introducion of the one and only Aster Phoenix! Sweet! I can hardly wait.

I don't think there anything that you really need translated. I mean, you're al smart people, right?

I'll see you next week. Now, I just need to catch up to that sneaky little basta-(trips over person) Ow!

Syrus: Ouch! (rubs head) What was that?

Syrus?

Syrus: Yeah? Oh, hey there, Miss MoS. Could you please get off of me? You're kinda heavy.

You had better not be calling me fat, runt.

Syrus: (nervously) No, never! But you know me! No muscle! Anything feels heavy to me! Even a feather! A feather feels like it weighs a ton when it lands on me! And you're like a feather, so you feel like oyu weigh a ton but you dont and please don't hurt me!

(Narrows eyes) You can live to see tomorrow, I suppose.

Syrus: Oh thank God. Oh, right, you haven't seen Jaden around, have you?

Do you see a bound and gagged teenaged boy awaiting my judgement with terror and tears?

Syrus: ...Is that a trick question?

(Sighs) No Syrus, I have not seen Jaden. Why do you need to find him?

Syrus: (holds up folder) I found this folder, and I think it's his-

(Grabs folder) My folder! My beautiful, wonderful folder! I thought I'd lost it forever! (Hugs Syrus) Oh, thank you thank THANK YOU! You wonderful, perfect little child!

Syrsu: I'm fifteen!

And I'm eighteen, so I can call you a child if I want to. (cuddles folder) I was so scared I was never going to see it again.

Syrus: If you don't mind my asking, what is it?

It's my plot folder. It contains all my plot twists and ideas and red herrings for this fanfiction, and the ones coming after it. Thank you so much for giving it back!

Syrus: No problem. I wonder why Jaden had it.

Probably because he stole it, the little klepto- FUCK!

Syrus: What? What is it? It is bigger than me?! Does it want to eat me? WHAT?!

No, I just remembered something. Something very bad. Something very bad that if I don't rectify it, we might be minus one star for the rest of this fanfic

Syrus: What are you talking about?

(Arms self with machien gun, sword, and a box with the words 'Dragon Treats - Now in Human and Ketchup Flavours!') Hold on Jaden! Just try and stay unviolated until we can get to you!

Syrus: (gulping) We?

Come Syrus! We have a main character to save! (grabs a protesting Syrus, and runs off)

MoS


	28. The Clash

Warnings: Just the usual warnings for Chazz. Ah, Chazz. ...Do I really need to say more than that?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Yera One: The Academic**

* * *

Chazz was, in his own words, pumped.

His blood was roaring in his ears, his heart was thundering wildly, and he was gasping in breath, trying very hard to keep from simply jumping up and down at the sheer elation that was coursing through his body. (He refrained partially because he wanted to keep his new bad-boy image pristine, and mostly because his brothers would have slaughtered him on the spot if he so much as tried.)

Across from him, with a grim sort of expression on his face, stood the object of his hatred and scorn. Decked out in red, messy brown hair falling into equally brown eyes, Jaden Yuki's was not a visage that struck fear into the hearts of his enemies. If anything, they would start laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. After all, who would ever suspect that the scrawny little kid with the mega watt smile, but no lights on upstairs, could take them on?

Let alone beat anyone.

But, as Chazz had learned painfully time and again, underestimating Jaden because of the gentle smile would prove to be a stupid mistake.

It was supposed to be an easy match. One stupid Slifer, a no-name newbie who'd bitten off more than he could chew. He was never supposed to see the back of Chazz's jacket, but Crowler had wanted Jaden beaten. Beaten and _gone_. Chazz hadn't known why, and he hadn't cared. He'd just known that he was supposed to completely and utter destroy Jaden in one duel so horrific, the Slifer would never want to pick up a deck again. It was supposed to be so simple.

But Chazz had counted on it being like any other duel with a Slifer. The Red would start the match nervous, worried about the crowds and even more worried about the Obelisk at his front. He'd make rookie mistakes and play badly, forgetting to put a card in defense mode now and again, and setting obvious traps that anyone, even a child, could detect.

Chazz had been counting on a duel with a Slifer. He hadn't anticipated a duel with _Jaden_.

Jaden didn't play like anyone Chazz had ever met before. He didn't seem to notice the crowds, didn't seem to care that he was dueling an Obelisk, and, shockingly enough, didn't seem to really care if he won or lost. Jaden dueled like he just wanted to duel, not win.

It had boggled Chazz's mind. Here was an opponent the likes of which he had never encountered before. Here was someone who wasn't going to turn tail and run just because his opponent was wearing blue. Here, at long last, was someone who might be able to break up the terrible monotony that had settled into Chazz life since he had first picked up his cards. Dueling had lost all its spice and flavour once he'd realized there was no one who was going to challenge him. He'd beaten everyone (Zane didn't count, because Zane was…well, he'd never truly managed to come up with a label for the older boy, but Zane was _different_.) who'd made the mistake of taking him on in a duel, and, in doing so, had let all the…he hesitated to use the word fun, because a Princeton never used 'fun' to describe _anything_, but it had taken something out of dueling, and Chazz was at a loss as to how he would reclaim it.

And then Crowler had dropped Jaden Yuki into his life.

Here was a challenger worthy of Chazz's precious time. Here was someone who ignited the old spark back into dueling. He didn't stutter in fear at Chazz's prowess, didn't curse the fact that he had to fight an Obelisk. If anything, the fact that Chazz was decked out in blue only seemed to spur Jaden onward. The boy dueled with every bit of his heart, something Chazz had long since forgotten to do.

As soon as he'd felt victory was assured in that fateful duel, Chazz had felt a fleeting, almost not-there flicker of disappointment pass through him. When (not if) he beat Jaden here, would the thrill leave again? Would Chazz be left feeling as listless and empty as before? Somehow, he'd doubted it. Even as his dragon reared over an impressed Slifer, Chazz somehow knew the boy would keep coming back for more, challenging him over and over again, trying to beat him. And Chazz knew he would accept every duel, if only to distract him from how bored he was getting.

And then Jaden had trounced him.

It had been _humiliating_, made only more so by the fact that Chazz couldn't figure out how the Slifer had done it. One second, the boy was losing badly, and the next, that flying fuzzball of his had great white wings stretching out over his side of the field, blocking the attack. And then Jaden was grinning again, smiling and calling loudly. And, with a point of his finger and a flash of his signature two-fingered salute, Chazz's pride, dignity, and dueling prowess had been stripped from him, all in the blink of an eye.

He'd spent weeks trying to figure out what had happened. As far as he could tell, nothing about the duel had made sense. By all his figuring (hours spent bent over a desk with a piece of paper and a pencil, scribbling out every move of the that duel, going over them again and again until his head _ached_) yielded nothing. All the facts told him that he should have been the winner. So how was it that some Slifer Slacker had beaten him? How was it that Jaden Yuki had managed to pull a victory right out of his ass at the last second of the duel?

It was a question that had haunted him for weeks on end after the upset. The entire school was up in arms over the fact that a Slifer (a _Slifer_, how was that even possible?) had managed to take down not only an Obelisk, but an Obelisk of Chazz's caliber. Everyone was scrambling to figure out what had happened. Some said Jaden had cheated. Some said the whole thing was rigged to help the low self-esteem the Red dorm was famous for. One crackpot even went so far as to assume that it was all part of an underground conspiracy to create enough social disorder so that the school would be vulnerable to a mental attack by terrorists. (But no one really paid attention to that theory.)

In the end, to Chazz's horror, it came down to _him_. Maybe he wasn't as good as they'd all thought he was. Maybe he lost because he was a terrible duelist. Maybe he had paid his way up the social ladder. And then someone, Chazz wasn't sure who, had said it:

" _He lost to a __**Slifer**__! He doesn't deserve to be in Obelisk Blue!"_

It was the accusation that had haunted his sleep and given him nightmares for weeks on end.

He didn't deserve his blue coat. He didn't deserve to live in the Obelisk dorms. He didn't deserve the admiration and worship of his peers. He didn't deserve anything. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he worked, it was never good enough. He was never rewarded. He never got anything because he never _deserved_ anything.

And his state of absolute misery one night, pressing his hands to his ears as he tried vainly to drown out the damning sounds of his brothers' voices, Chazz had decided the blame lay with one, and only one, person.

Jaden Yuki.

Jaden, who had beaten him. Jaden, who seemed to always be smiling, unaware of the hardships of everyone else. Jaden, who was still able to enjoy dueling. Jaden, who didn't have two brothers who outshone him and expected him to doing his part.

Jaden, who had no idea how much he had messed Chazz's life up.

' _One more duel._' The mantra had become something of an obsession. ' _Just one more duel, and I can beat him. I know I can._'

And it was with that thought in mind (when hadn't it been in mind? For the past few months, it was all he could think of.), Chazz stepped into the familiar duel arena, ready to win back what was his.

Chazz ground his teeth, and waltzed up onto the stage, scowling as he cut Dr. Crowler off.

" Get off the stage." He said slowly, carefully enunciating each word so that there was no chance for the blond man to misconstrue was he was saying. " I'll introduce myself, you freak."

Even Jaden winced at the high-pitched squealed that issued from Crowler's mouth. Chazz merely sniffed and looked angrily off to the side, not letting the sudden pain in his eardrums show on his face.

" I beg your _pardon_?!" Crowler screamed into the microphone, his voice amplified a hundred times by the device. All around the stadium, the students of Duel Academy and North Academy winced collectively, some putting their hands over their ears, trying to drown out the piercing sound.

" I have a Ph.D. in dueling, young man!" Crowler pointed the microphone threateningly at Chazz. " You had better treat me with the respect I deser-"

"And what about the respect _I_ deserve?" Chazz said coldly. " What about the dignity and integrity I deserved while I was here?! What about that, huh?!"

Behind him, he heard his new classmates from North rise up and start cheering, the din shaking the lights that were suspended high above them. Emboldened by the sound of their agreement, Chazz turned around, smirking and raising his arms up.

" What about the way _I_ was treated?! What about _my_ respect?! You pushed me around, Duel Academy! You made a mockery of me, setting me up in duels against Ra's and turning on me the second some lousy scrub got a lucky shot in! And yes, Jaden," He whipped around, pointing an accusing finger at the other boy, " I'm talking about _you_!"

" Me?" Jaden pointed to himself in confusion. " What did I do?"

" What did you do?" Chazz's jaw dropped. " What did you _do_?! You _beat_ me, you Slacker! You beat me, and it ruined me!"

" I'm…sorry?" Jaden tried, blinked in an innocent way that only made Chazz even angrier.

" Sorry won't cut it! Sorry won't undo everything that happened to me after you beat me!" Chazz raged.

" I know." Jaden said, uncharacteristically subdued, but Chazz was too in the moment to care. " I know that, but for what it's worth…"

" It's worth _shit_!" Chazz spat, and the students behind him roared in approval. " There's only one way to settle this Jaden, and that's with a duel!"

He pulled back, whipped his duel disk arm out. The device beeped once, red light flaring in the blue orb on the central component. The arm of the disk slide out, falling into place with a distinctive click that was all but lost under the deafening wave of cheers that emanated from the bleachers behind him.

" So get ready, Duel Academy, because Chazz Princeton came to win!" He raised his arm up high.

" If you think I'm still the same old Chazz you humiliated, you had better think again, because I've changed! I'm new, I'm improved, and I'm ready to rub your little school rep right outta existence!"

He whipped back around to look at Jaden, pointing his one finger in at his opponent. He smirked at Jaden's stunned face.

" Jaden Yuki, Duel Academy, I'm here for one reason!"

He raised his one fist triumphantly into the air, eyes burning in the light hanging high above him. His face flushed with eagerness and his smile stretching from ear to the other, he looked almost unwell in the artificial lighting, though the camera crews swinging around the two duelists zoomed in on his face with barely restrained delight. In the private box overlooking the arena, Chazz could almost see his two brothers smirking in approval, but even the image of their proud faces paled in comparison to the warm feeling that gushed through his chest as his new classmates threw themselves into his speech with gusto. Yelling themselves hoarse, they leaned over their seats, tumbling over one another to get closer to him, screaming over other voices to be heard and acknowledged by him. The feeling of being worshipped like an idol at an altar made him dizzy, and the lightheadedness only made his (almost _psychotic_) grin grow in size and intensity.

" To _Chazz it up_!"

The snort of amusement of a certain brunette Academic at his catchphrase was lost in the storm of repetition that heralded from his North Academy fellows. Smirking, Chazz lowered his arm and angled the arm of his duel disk at Jaden.

" Let's do this."

He was rather surprised (though he fought very hard not to let it show) when Jaden, after all the hype and scare tactics he'd been sure to employed, grinned eagerly and activated his own duel disk.

" You said it!" The boy planted his feet. " Bring it on, Chazz!"

" Oh," Chazz murmured more to himself than anyone else, staring at Jaden with a mixture of excitement and loathing, " I intend to."

**_**

In all honesty, Jaden knew he was supposed to feel bad.

He knew he was the reason Chazz had ended up leaving, though Bastian's victory over the Obelisk had contributed.

He knew Chazz had built himself up on his reputation in order to finally gain some acceptance in his life.

He knew that Chazz was under serious amounts of pressure (if that little episode in the bathroom was anything to go by), and that his mere presence had ultimately ruined everything Chazz had created.

He knew that everything that was going on with Chazz (the dueling, the transfer, the showboating, the anger, the resentment, the _hatred_) could all be traced back to his brothers.

Jaden knew he was at least partially, if not entirely, responsible for the apparent mental breakdown that had led Chazz to demand that his brothers transfer him to North Academy, just so he could have a shot at beating Jaden once more.

Jaden knew all of this.

That was probably why he felt so guilty about having the time of his life.

Jaden loved dueling. He'd known what he wanted to do ever since he'd first looked up in the hobby shop his babysitter had taken him to and seen those first cards. His babysitter at the time, a pretty college student of 19, had knelt down next to him and asked, in her soft way, if he wanted some of those cards.

Jaden, falling in love with her for an instant, had only just managed to nod, his throat choked up with delighted tears.

From the first moment he'd ever played the game, Jaden had been hopelessly in love with dueling. He loved the rush of the game, the thrill of getting just the right card, the way he spent the entire game dancing on the knife's edge, one turn away from losing it all. He loved his monsters (proud and brave and strong, like real heroes were supposed to be), and he loved his deck. He loved the way the duel disk fit on his wrist, and he loved the way it beeped when it activated. He loved the whoosh the cards made as they were being drawn, and he loved the way they slapped down onto his duel disk.

But most of all, he loved where dueling had taken him.

He loved Duel Academy, with it's three separate ranks and the wide blue ocean stretching out for miles. He loved the green forests and the salty air, and he loved sleeping on the roof, with the sun blazing the sky above him. He loved his classes (which he had steadily grown better in until he was averaging high 70's in all eight courses), and his friends. He especially loved his friends. Duel Academy had given him more than he had ever dreamed possible.

And Chazz had been part of that experience.

As Jaden saw it, all great duelists needed a steadfast rival, someone they could depend on to challenge them and make them grow. And from the first time Chazz had challenged Jaden to a duel, the Slifer had decided that he wanted Chazz as his rival.

Chazz was everything Jaden was not. A year older, an Obelisk, an already-established reputation. He dueled fast and cruel, so very different from Jaden's easy-going, hard-hitting style. He was elitist and a bit of a jerk, but Jaden didn't want a rival who was going to bow out at the last minute.

He wanted someone who was going to be determined to beat him, no matter what the cost.

And while Jaden knew he wouldn't have resented Chazz if the older boy had one that first, real duel, Jaden had to wonder what had been going through Chazz's head when he'd lost to drive him to this.

**_**

Chazz's grin was almost too wide as Jaden stared down the Armed Dragon Level 3.

" Sweet monster Chazz." Jaden breathed, excitement tingling down his spine.

" You won't think he's so sweet in a minute!"

" Well, we'll see." Jaden placed the card he had chosen face down. " I'll just throw this down, and end my turn."

" Thanks for the update." Chazz rolled his eyes. " Like I couldn't tell you were doing that."

" It's common courtesy, and you know it."

" You can't even spell that, Slacker."

" C-o-u-r-t-e-s-y." Jaden said with his eyes closed in concentration. " I had a paragraph about courtesy in my essay on why exploring areas that are labeled as 'out of bounds' is a bad idea."

" Does it _look_ like I _care_?" Chazz growled, flipping a card agitatedly around between his fingers.

"Not really."

" Then shut it!" Chazz pulled a card out of his hand and held it poised over the duel deck. " Now, during my stand by phase, the effect of Armed Dragon activates, allowing me to summon his Level 5 form right to the field, so long as I sacrifice his Level 3 form and sending one card to the Graveyard."

Jaden gulped.

" And that's just what's happening, Slacker!" Chazz shouted as the Armed Dragon Level 3 vanished in a swirl of light. The vortex of gold spun upwards until it licked the ceiling. Jaden put at hand on his chest, taking in his racing heart. Beside him, his Winged Kuriboh flickered into existence, took one look at the spinning mass of light that was letting out a deafening roar, and popped right back out.

Jaden blinked, and before him stood and great hulking mass of muscles, covered by red and brown armour and peppered with small, silver spikes. Sharp claws extended out from both its hands and feet, and a spiked ball ended its tail. A set of small wings, red and leathery, each had a hooked claw jutting out of them. A pair of small, but brilliantly coloured green eyes looked at Jaden with vicious delight, and despite himself, the boy felt his knees go a little bit watery.

But his pulse was pounding and the adrenaline rush was just starting, and Jaden Yuki grinned up at the dragon with equal gusto.

" That's sweet, Chazz. I mean, it's awesome." He gestured to his deck. " I hope I can live up to the standard you just set."

" Don't count on it." The former Obelisk sneered.

" Well, I won't know unless I try. Go, Hero Ring!"

The shield appeared in front of Burstinatrix.

" Sorry Chazz, but with Hero Ring equipping Burstinatrix, monsters with 1900 or more attack points can't attack."

" Too bad." Chazz shrugged, still smirking. " Looks like you _can't_ measure up to me."

" What do you mean?" Jaden asked, completely puzzled.

" Armed Dragon's special ability lets me destroy one of your monsters so long as I discard a monster to the Graveyard with the same or less attack points than the monster I'm destroying. So that means…"

Chazz slipped a card into the slot that was designated for the Card Graveyard. The Armed Dragon reared its head and let out a bellow as Chazz raised his hand.

"It's bye-bye Burstinatrix!"

The small spikes on the dragon took off in a ray of orangy-red, shooting out all over the duel arena and causing some of the students to gasp in surprise.

" Sorry, Burst." Jaden whispered. Burstinatrix nodded gravely.

And then she was consumed in the fiery blast. Jaden winced, covering his head with his hands, and mourned silently for the monster.

" And now," came Chazz's voice through the haze of the smoke, " for his direct attack! Inferno Roar!"

And then Jaden was in considerable pain. A blast of heat ripped across his senses, searing through his jacket and shirt right down again his skin, where it blistered and stung. The heat surged over his body, and his mind wondered how it was that a _hologram_ was managing to do it. And then the force behind the blow caught up with the heat, and Jaden found himself careening backwards, falling head over heels, and crashing soundly into the metal floor of the stadium, groaning as his ribs protested loudly to the treatment.

" Ow." He muttered, muffled by the fact that his face was squashed into the floor.

" So this is Duel Academy's best, huh?" Chazz groused. " This place musta been dragging me down big time, if I let myself get beat by the likes of _you_."

" Hey Chazz?" Jaden said, slowly climbing to his feet. His bangs fell into his face and his eyes were cast in an eerie shadow.

" What Slacker?"

" Seeing as how this duel is far from over," Jaden tilted his head up into the light, smirking as he wiped a smudge of dirt away from his cheek, " you might wanna shut up."

There was a stunned silence, from both Duel Academy and North Academy, but the air around Chazz plummeted in temperature, and the glare he gave to Jaden could have frozen lava.

" You tell 'im, Jay!" Syrus shouted from the crowd behind him, and suddenly, all of Duel Academy seemed to unfreeze at the same time. A cheer slowly roses from his part of the stands, building and building like a wave getting ready to hit the rocks. And as the wave crashed, the noise shook the lights attached to the ceiling, swinging them back and forth in fervent approval of Jaden's smirk.

" I'll make you pay, Slacker." Chazz hissed venomously. " I place one card face down, and end my turn."

" Then that means it's my turn. And I'm calling my Elemental Hero Bubbleman out on the field. Chazz, you remember what happens if I summon Bubbleman when there are no other cards on my field, right?"

" Enlighten me."

" I get to draw two more cards!" He glanced down at his hand. " And, whaddya know, just the card I was looking for. I'm using Polymerization to fuse Elemental Heroes Bubbleman, Sparkman, and Avion together to form…Elemental Hero Tempest!"

" I'm _so_ impressed." Chazz rolled his eyes at the new monster.

"You should be! Tempest, Gilder Strike!"

It was with a curl of dark satisfaction in his gut that Jaden watch the dragon that had blown Burstinatrix away go up in smoke.

' _That was for you, Burst_.'

" Activate trap card!" Chazz shouted as his face down card went up. " Call of the Haunted!"

" Oh crap." Jaden muttered.

" Call of the Haunted lets me bring back one monster from my Graveyard. So if you missed my Armed Dragon Level 5, don't worry. Because he's on his way back."

To Jaden's utter horror, the red and brown dragon reared above him again, to the background noise of an appreciative North Academy.

" Guess I'll throw down a face down." He said, mind rushing with ideas.

" Like that's gonna help you." Chazz scoffed. " 'Cause I'm gonna discard Despair From the Dark, and using my dragon's special ability to destroy your Tempest!"

And while he managed to save both Avion and Bubbleman, Sparkman was sacrificed, and Jaden felt a hot bubble of anger well up in his chest.

' _You're doing this because you want to hurt me, Chazz_.' Jaden looked across the field at the other boy. ' _You want me to hurt the way you're hurting. I can tell that much Chazz, I'm not stupid. Well, that's fine, you can try. I'm more than ready to take you on. But when you start messing with my monsters, start destroying them just because you like to see them fall_…' Jaden's eyes narrowed.

' _That's when I get mad, Chazz_.'

" Poor Sparky. He never stood a chance. But I'm done playing around with you, Jaden. I think it's about time I started getting serious."

" What?" A trickle of unease invaded his mind.

" I'm upgrading my Level 5 Dragon! So get ready to cower in fear before my ultimate monster!"

A red light flooded the arena, much like the golden shower that had sprung up when Chazz had summoned his Level 5 Dragon. But the light was an electricfied crimson, and instead of remaining confided to a single area on the field, the bubble of light spread and grew until it encompassed the entire arena. All the faces of the surrounding students were bathed in the sinister glow, and Jaden's heart was near ready to explode out of his chest.

Because standing behind Chazz, in the fading scarlet light, was the Armed Dragon Level 7.

If he had thought the Level 5 Dragon was big, then the Level 7 was gargantuan. It towered over Chazz, red muscles bulging and dark armour gleaming in the light. From each of its knee jutted a curved spike that reminded Jaden of a drill. There were harsh silver spikes up the length of its stomach and chest, and from each foot and hand extended three wicked claws of the same colour. Its shoulders were padded with little spikes, and it wore spiked collars on its wrists. Its wings were sinister looking edges, looking suspiciously like the blade of an axe. Its eyes though, were the same as the Level 5's. Dark, green, and deadly.

" Oh, kick_ass_." He breathed.

" What was that?" Chazz smirked, putting a hand to his ear. " I couldn't hear you over the sound of your fluttering heart."

" You bet my heart's pounding! This just got fun!"

Chazz blinked.

" Are you shitting me?"

" No way!" Jaden jumped up. " That has got to be the _coolest_ thing I have ever seen! And this has got to be the best duel _ever_!"

" Well, enjoy it while you can!" Chazz shouted, face flushing purple and eyes blazing.

" Because in just a few turns, it'll destroy you!"

* * *

Ah, this was fun to write. I focused in a little more on the actual duel this time, a) because ti fills up space and b) it allows for a little rapport between the two duelists. And god know, Jaden and Chazz really need to sit down and chat at one point or another. ...And yes, I enjoy making Chazz a friggin' nutcase. It's so fun.

A lot of you seemed shocked that I brought Jesse Anderson into it so early. To which I can only say this: This is far from being the last time I bring him into it. (holds up T-shirt reading: ' I went there AGAIN and all I got was ANOTHER lousy T-shirt! In fact, I think this one is LOUSIER!')

Are there any translations? No, I think you people can figure out what I'm going for with this all on your own.

Syrus: Can we...please...just stop...for like...thirty...seconds! We've been...running...non...stop...for a...week.

Do you WANT your precious aniki to be violated?

Syrus: My what now?

Oh, right yeah, ahven't introduced taht angle yet. Hmmm, gotta find a way to work that in.

Syrus: You are twisted, lady.

Yeah, what else is new?

Jesse: What the- how in the hell did Ah end up here?

Oh great. The redneck decides to join us on our quest.

Jesse: Who're ya callin' a redneck!

Darling, I thought I was being obvious, you backwoods hick.

Jesse: Whah, Ah oughta-

Coulda, woulda, shoulda, blah, blah, blah- regrets. Cane we maybe focus on Jaden here for a second, people?

Jesse: Jay's in trouble?

Syrus: Since when do you care? And since when were you such a racists bitch, MoS?

I'm not being racist. Jesse knows that this is how I show my affection. By ragging on him and insulting his Southern background. There's a difference. Albeit, not much of one, but enough for me to get out of this without being lynched by angry readers, right (looks at audience)

Jesse: Who're ya looking a-Holy crap that's alotta people!

Just smile and wave, Anderson. Smile and wave.

Syrus: And now you're joke-stealing. Can you sink any lower.

Syrus, jsut act like good bait and wave the Dragon treats around a little more.

Syrus: This is NEVER going to work.

Yubel: (in the distance) _I smeeeeeelllllll draaaaaagggooonnnn treeeeeeeaaaaaaaats_!

Syrus: ...

Jesse:...

Oh ye of little faith.

Syrus: Um, what do we do when she...he..._it_?...gets here?

...Fuck!

MoS


	29. The Players

Warnings: A little...dare I say it?..._humanization_ of **_Chazz_**. See for yourselves if you don't believe me.

Disclaimer: i don't own _Yugioh_-

Crap, crap, crap!

Syurs: Oneside, coming through!

Jesse: This was so not in mah contract!

Yes it is! Page 87!

Jesse: That clause dusn't kick in for anotha two years, ya crazy bitch!

Yeah, well, as almighty god of this universe, I'm calling that clause into action _NOW_! So0 shut your damn mouth, and run like the God damn wind, anderson, unless you want to be possesed by a dual-gendered dragon person _right now_!

Jesse: It'd be bettah 'en hangin' 'round here with th' lakes of ya'll!

...

Syrus: (blinks) Oh no you didn't.

Just for that, once Year Three roles around, you can expect Yubel to take _advantage_ of the fact that she...he...whatever...is in _your_ body and has _Jaden_ isolated and alone!

Jesse: What th' hell do ya mean, 'advantage'?! Hey! _HEY_! Don't ya run away from me! Answer mah question! (picks up pace) Git yer sorry ass back here!

Syrus: Was it too much to ask for a nice, relaxing weekend. (looks at audience) MoS does not own _Yugioh GX_. I woukd've thought that was obvious by now.

Yeah, and I miss grade one, when I could plagarize (sp?) as much as I wanted and not catch any heat for it. Now shut up and _run_!

Syrus: Where's Jesse?

You don't need to know.

Syrus: But-

Run, bitch!

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Zane was, despite himself, impressed.

The massive bulk of the Armed Dragon Level 7 reared up in front of the stands where he stood, leaning over the railing. Far below him, the student representatives of the two rival Academies were standing across from each other, one with the aforementioned dragon at his back, and the other with nothing in front of him except for his opponent's monster.

Chazz had played spectacularly, Zane had to admit that. At every turn, the former Obelisk had pulled tricks out of his sleeve, beating Jaden back with moves Zane had never even heard of. He had managed, even, to summon up that mass of muscle he was calling his Armed Dragon, and Zane was (despite the fact the had had never liked Chazz to begin with) impressed.

But what really had him surprised was the fact that Jaden was still in the duel.

Any other Slifer (any other Duelist, in fact. Zane could admit to that) would have turned around and headed for the hills. Very few people actually had the guts to stick a duel out when it was almost certain that they were going to lose. Whether it was some deeply ingrained 'fight-or-flight' instinct that told them to flee, or just a cowardly response to clearly superior power, Zane knew, without a doubt, that at least half the people sitting in the stadium cheering the two on would not have stayed in Jaden's position.

Perhaps that was what set him apart.

Zane had never, in his life, met anyone like Jaden. Outspoken, honest, and seemingly so young, there was an innocence about Jaden that almost took away from his skills. Someone so carefree, someone so naïve, someone so _young_, could never hope to take on the best and win. It was just impossible. (As impossible as a Slifer beating a Ra. As impossible as a Slifer beating an _Obelisk_. As impossible as a Slifer repping Duel Academy in the School Duel. Jaden seemed to be rewriting the rules.) His youth made him seem inexperienced, and that led people, including Zane, to underestimate him.

He'd meant it when he'd said he thought he was slumming around with Jaden when they'd dueled that first time. He hadn't expected the boy to make it past two rounds, let alone as far as he did. The boy's tenacity, and more so, his astonishing power to _get back up_, even after the most painful of blows, had attracted Zane's attention. And that in itself was no easy feat. But when Jaden had challenged him over Syrus, over his weak, pathetic little brother (was that label still applicable? There was something new in Syrus' eyes now, and it didn't seem like it was going to be broken so easily), Zane had been more than intrigued.

What was it that Jaden could see in Syrus that his own brother couldn't?

It had been a cold realization when it struck home that Jaden was probably closer to Syrus than Zane had ever been, and so probably knew him better. But that had come later, and on the night Zane had walked to his dorm room with Alexis, all he could think about was that the little Slifer was a pretty good duelist, if not a little delusional.

And after that, Jaden had only continued to impress him.

He'd managed to raise Syrus' confidence to the point of which Syrus had helped in taking down the Paradox Brothers. That alone had been enough to amaze Zane. But the knowing smile on Jaden's face, as if he had never had a single doubt in Syrus' abilities, at the end of the duel was what really stuck in his mind.

Jaden seemed to gravitate towards people who needed help, he's noticed.

Chumley, the fat failure of last year, had been doing phenomenally better in all his classes, and could be seen winning six out of seven of his duels as of late. Alexis, who was usually so closed off, raved about Jaden every chance she got, laughing at his silliness and smiling fondly at the mention of him. The genius of the newbies, Bastian, was pulled off of his pedestal, yanked down to mingle with other people for once in his life. Even the sharp-tongued recluse, Lia, could be seen at ease and smiling around the Slifer boy.

It was a testament to Jaden's odd skill.

There were people, Zane knew, who would call such an openness a weakness, and the sign of a shoddy duelist. No one of any caliber was supposed to be that friendly. It was another one of the rules apparently. And it was the reason, Zane was beginning to suspect, that he'd gotten as far as he had.

But Jaden had no ice and thorns to protect him; no barriers between his heart and others; no tragedy in his past to isolate him and make him stronger.

And yet, for every curve ball Chazz had thrown at him throughout the duration of the duel, Jaden had stepped up to bat and swung, not caring if he hit a home run, or if the ball was caught, so long as he had managed to hit it.

And hit it he had.

From the sounds of the cheers echoing around the stadium, everyone, Blue or Yellow, or Red, seemed to be ready to lay aside their differences and support Jaden. And Zane wasn't too surprised to see where the loudest cheer of all was coming from.

" Go Jaden!" Zane could hear his little brother shout over the din. " You show Chazz what Duel Academy is made of!"

" Kick his ass!" Alexis cupped her hands in front of her mouth to amplify the sound. Zane flinched and looked away, trying very hard not think about the way Alexis had looked at him not a few days before. He was standing far enough away to not be associated with the group of friends (which was made up of two Red, two Yellows, and a Blue. It was diversity the likes of which Duel Academy hadn't seen since it first opened.), but he had made sure he was close enough to be able to hear what they were saying. He wasn't sure why it was important that he was able to do that; he just knew he wanted to be able to.

" What exactly is going on?" Lia asked, biting her lower lip. " Why is Jaden still alright?"

" Hero Spirit." Alexis answered, and Zane almost laughed at her tired tone. It would appear that despite the large amounts of time the Academic spent with the group of duelists, she was no closer to understanding the way the game worked than she had been at the beginning of the year.

"And that…"

" Renders all damage to zero if a hero is destroyed." Zane was rather surprised to hear Syrus answering. Since when had his younger brother been confident enough to respond so authoritatively?

" Okay then." A pause. Lia placed her hand on her chest, as if to ward off some heavy feeling " Do…Do you guys think Jaden can win this thing?"

It was very hard to catch, but there was the barest hint of a tremour in her voice.

" I certainly hope so." That was Bastian. " But right now, his odds aren't looking too good."

" They weren't looking too good during the tag-team duel either, and we all know how _that_ ended!" Alexis snapped.

" Yes, but this is different."

" Jaden's beaten Chazz before. Hell, _you've_ beaten Chazz, and Jaden beat _you_."

" I'm going to ignore that last bit. And it's still different."

" How so?"

" The Chazz both Jaden and I beat was a completely different person compared to the Chazz down in the duel arena right now."

" He's just as much of a jackass as ever." Lia said through gritted teeth.

" While I'll grant that his personality hasn't changed much, his deck and dueling strategy have under gone incredible metamorphosis."

The collected group all turned to look at the British boy, and Zane tilted his head slightly to the left, so he could hear clearly.

" Before, Chazz was all about showing off his power and beating his opponents down. And while at the core of his dueling, that might not have changed, but he's going about it differently now. He seems to be…playing at a different level than he was before. There's more respect for his cards now, more feeling in them. Whether that feeling is agitation, pride, or sorrow, they are not just pieces of cardboard to him anymore." Bastian stopped. " Which of course, is ridiculous. The game of Duel Monsters is just another theorem to be solved, and the cards are the variables."

" You don't believe in the Heart?" Alexis asked. Bastian gave a laugh.

" A foolish way of expressing hope in luck instead of relying on a tried and true formula."

" The Heart is more than that!" The blonde snapped. " It's the belief that your deck has a bond with you, and will respond when you need it the most. It's…it's having faith in your deck."

"It's never been proven."

" Not everything in this world can be proven."

They all turned, shocked, to stare at Lia, who looked back at them with big, confused eyes.

" Lia, darling," She flushed at that, " you have to understand that no one has ever proven the Heart even exists, so-"

" Just because there's no proof doesn't mean it can't exist." Lia said decidedly. " There are things in this world that were never meant to be explained. That _can't_ be explained. No one had ever proven that, as human, we have a purpose. Does that mean it isn't there?"

" Exactly!" Alexis agreed. " The Heart doesn't have to have proof. It exists to those who believe in it. No amount of number crunching is going to make it any less real to me."

" All the Heart is is luck." Bastian shook his head. " The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can move on in your dueling strategy. You can't be relying on your deck to give you the exact card you need at the exact moment you need it. It's all up to the way you stacked your cards, and the ratio or cards drawn to card still in the deck."

" A little faith never hurt anyone." Lia said, turning back to look at the duel where Jaden's Winged Kuriboh had just hopped up on his shoulder. Then she turned back, puzzled look on her face.

" By the way, what's the Heart?"

Everyone, including Zane, three seats over and a row back, face faulted.

**_**

" Is that a Duel spirit?" Jaden asked eagerly, twisting around on the spot so that he could get a better look at the yellow splotch that was floating around Chazz's head.

" It's nothing!" The other boy shouted, trying to smack the thing away. " Just a figment of your imagination!"

" Hey, I'm Jaden!" He waved it over. The little yellow thing floated cautiously forward, looking at him through the buggy eyes that extended out from its head. " Who're you?"

" I'm Ojama Yellow." The thing said in a high squeaky voice. "And you better get ready to lose, 'cause the Boss is gonna wipe the floor with you!"

" 'The Boss'?" Jaden blinked. " Oh, you mean Chazz!"

" Yeah, the Boss! You'll see! He'll beat you bad!"

" Well, he's welcome to try."

" You sure are calm." Ojama Yellow observed. " Even with that thing staring at you." It pointed to the Armed Dragon Level 7. " I don't like him. He's a bit of a bully. He pushes me around when I'm in the deck. But it's okay! I know the Boss would never let anything hurt me!"

At the instant, Chazz marched forward and grabbed the Ojama, yanking it up to stare at his face.

" What do you think you're doing?!" He railed. " Quit fraternizing with the enemy!"

"I wasn't fraternizing, Boss! I was just telling him how you were gonna beat him!"

" Don't talk to him!"

" But he seems pretty nice Boss. He said his name's Jaden and-"

" I already know what his name is, and I know I don't want you talking to him!"

" Okay Boss! I promise I won't talk to him anymore! I promise!"

" You had better not! Now buzz off, I'm in the middle of something right now!"

" But I wanna stay and watch Boss."

" I said scram!"

Chazz clapped his hands together over the Ojama, who vanished in a small puff of smoke. The black haired boy breathed a sigh of relief.

" Finally, some peace and quiet. He wouldn't shut up the whole way here. Now, where were we?" He turned back to Jaden.

" You know, you shouldn't be so mean to your spirit, Chazz."

" If I want your advice on how to treat the figments of _my_ imagination, I'll _ask_, got it Slacker?!"

" Alright, fine. I'm just saying."

" And I'm just saying that I've got it covered!" Chazz signaled to his dragon. " Just like I've got this duel covered. Now, Armed Dragon, blast his Kuriboh outta here. Dragon Talon Terror!"

The explosion was somewhat less impressive now that he had been privy to it several times, but Jaden still felt a blow to his heart when his Kuriboh vanished.

" I activate Pot of Greed!" Jaden called out as he put the card on his disk. " This card allows me to-"

" We already know what the freakin' card does!" One of the North Academy students shouted. " Get on with it!"

" Hey!" A Duel Academy student responded. " I don't know what it does!"

" What are you, some kind of fucking idiot?!"

" I'm an _Academic_ you asshole!"

" You wanna go, you non-dueling freak?!"

" Don't call him a freak, you muscle bound meat head!"

" You can't talk to him like that!"

" Looks like I just did!"

" You wanna start something? Is that it?!"

" Maybe I _do_! What are you gonna do about it?!"

" Should we…just keep dueling?' Jaden asked as the student from North Academy shouted across the arena _exactly_ what he was going to 'do about it'.

" Just ignore them and draw your cards." Chazz pinched the bridge of his nose. " No matter where I go, I'm surrounded by idiots."

" At least they're nice idiots." Jaden tried to console as he drew his two cards.

" Like that makes up for anything."

" Hey, isn't it better to be surrounded by idiots who are being nice to you than surrounded by idiots who hate your guts?"

" I guess." At that point, Chazz seemed to realize that he was having a semi-civil conversation with his opponent, and snapped to attention to rectify any damage that might have been done. " Hurry up and make your move, Slacker!"

" Alright, alright, don't get so worked up about it." Jaden slipped one card into the Graveyard slot. " I activate Special Hurricane!"

" What?"

" If I discard one card from my hand, I can use Special Hurricane to destroy any monster on the field, as long as it was Special Summoned. So guess what's going bye-bye?"

" That's _my_ line!" Chazz shouted, but it was drowned out by the whirl of the wind as it shot out of the card and spun in a vicious vortex at the Armed Dragon Level 7. And explosion further shook Chazz, and he stumbled back, tossing his arms out to balance himself.

" And now I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart to finish the job!" Through the haze of the lingering smoke, left by Armed Dragon's destruction, Jaden shot his arm out to give Wildheart the signal. " Attack Chazz directly!"

The force of the blow sent Chazz careening backwards, tripping over himself, and landing in a heap by his edge of the field.

" OW!" He sat up, rubbing his head. " Was that entirely necessary?!"

" To be fair bro, you did mess with my monsters."

" It's a _duel_ you fucking moron, I'm _supposed_ to!"

" But you didn't have to enjoy it so much."

" I can't believe I'm having this conversation." Chazz climbed to his feet. " You are un-fucking-believable, you know that?"

" I do what I can."

" Well, do what you can about this!" Chazz slapped a card down. "I play Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension! This allows me to take two monsters out of my Graveyard, and shuffle them into my deck. And my Armed Dragons fit under the category of monsters I can take back!" Two cards came shooting

out of the Graveyard slot. " And I'll summon the Armed Dragon Level 3 that I happen to have in my hand! I'm gonna Chazz you up big time Jaden, so you had better watch out!"

" Um, Chazz, can we talk later about this catch phrase of yours?"

" There won't be a later for you, Slacker!" Chazz glared at him. " I'll see to that!"

" You're way too high strung. Try to relax a little, bro. Just chill, and enjoy the duel. Let yourself have a little fun, okay?"

" Dueling's not about fun! It's about hard work and winning!"

" _Show them that you __**can**__ win! And keep winning! Over and over. That you're the __**best**__!"_

And despite himself, his classmates, and whole situation, Jaden felt his heart go out to Chazz, if only marginally. The sheer amount of pressure, if the boy's gritted teeth and clenched fists were anything to go by, must be enormous. There was a desperation in every move Chazz was making, every card drawn with a growing unease, an almost terror of losing. After every turn, Chazz had glanced up to where Jaden could only assume to two elder Princeton brothers sat, as if constantly seeking approval. Jaden might have been an only child, and might not have fully been able to understand the turmoil that was going on in Chazz (it was a safe bet that he couldn't, but that sort of thing had never stopped him before. Little details like that had never mattered much to Jaden, who, once he set his heart on something, went out of his way to achieve it.), but he was damn well going to try and ease it. He sent Wildheart to attack the Armed Dragon Level 3, and smiled as the adrenaline returned full force.

" Hey Chazz, how about after this, we have another duel, just for fun?"

" What the _Hell _are you going on about, Slacker?"

" You know, a duel just for fun."

" Why would I want to do that?"

Jaden smiled at Chazz.

" Because that way, the pressure's off, you know? You can duel just for the sake of dueling, without having to worry about anything else."

" Oh, I get it." Chazz sneered. " You're so scared that I'll beat you that you're already trying to get a rematch in!"

" Well, actually," Jaden rubbed the back of his head, " I'm having so much fun right now that I can't wait to do this again! You're an awesome opponent Chazz!"

Chazz stared at him, stunned, and Jaden wondered if no one had ever complimented him before.

" Quit trying to get in my good books, Slacker. It won't help you."

" But I mean it Chazz. This duel has been non-stop fun!"

"Well, the fun stops right here! I play The Grave of Inkindling! It allows both of us to call a monster back from the Graveyard to the field in defense mode. And I choose my Armed Dragon Level 5!"

" You sure like those dragons." Jaden murmured as the monster appeared in that same swirl of light. " Well, I choose my Hero Kid. And when Hero Kid is Special Summoned, I get to summon all the Hero Kids in my deck!"

" Big whoop, I've got one card that'll blast those brats away." Chazz drew a card. " I play the spell Level Up. Take a guess at what it does."

" It levels up a monster?"

" Got that right." Chazz smirked, and Jaden found himself once again staring down the Armed Dragon Level 7, which was eying him in a way that had Jaden wondering if it remembered the way the Slifer had destroyed it.

" Oh crap."

* * *

Ah, the introduction of the infamous Heart. It will always be capitalized in this fic.

And Lia's little speech! Wasn't that the cutest? Say hi, Lia darling!

Lia: I hate you so much.

Don't care. Zane is so much fun to write. So angsty (but he hasn't seen _anything _yet!) and confused.

The way Zane noticed Jaden - It will come up again. In later chapters, there will be references made to the fact taht Jaden is not an ordinary duelist, and seems to be able to 'inspire' those around him. Chazz has noticed it, and so has Zane. Keep it in mind.

Bastian on the Heart - Bastian doesn't strike me as the type of person to believe in soemthing without proof. Lia, on the other had, would rather not have blind faith in something, but believes, _irresistibly_, in the idea that things cannot by explained, and were never meant to be. The wording of that last sentence was _on purpose_. Look carefully at it.

Jaden's talk with Ojama Yellow - Was jsut because I thought it would brighten up the heavy atmosphere I've been giving Chazz and Jaden.

Pot of Greed - In every episode I've _ever_ seen this card played in, they _always_ explain what it does. I feel like 4kids thinks we're a bunch of _morons_ if they think we _still_ need to be told _what_ Pot of fucking Greed does. We get it. Two more card. Whoop-de-flippin'-doo. Can we move on now? So that little exchange was my own vindictive way of saying :I know the fucking card does already!

Jaden and Chazz - Have a long way to go, but it's getting there. You can see the cracks in the mask along the eges/ Jay's getting through to him. Of course, we still ahve the Shadow Riders to get through. And that, my friends, is going to _hell_ Why? Beucase I am a sadistic bitch.

Jesse: (hobbles up, looking worse for wear) Why did ya throw me at th' angreh dragon ladeh?

Case in point.

Jesse: Ah nearleh dahd! Wha' th' hell is wrong with ya?!

Well, they think it might be a mild case of psychosis, but we're still waiting to here back from the national board before they can make any major calls.

Jesse: ...

Syrus: (was there the whole times) ...I can't even tell if she's joking.

Jesse: (whispering) Should weh...should weh run?

Syrus: (sighs) Realistically, we'd never get very far. Remember, she's as good as god in this place.

I _love_ the power.

Syrus: We've noticed.

Hey, Jess?

Jesse: (through gritted teeth) What?

What happened to Yubel, anyway?

Jesse: Hell if Ah know. Ah just pushed th' bitch off and ran lahke th' Devil was chasing aftah me.

Syrus: So wait, you don't know what happened to Yubel?

Jesse: No ahdea.

...

Syrus: ...

...We have _really_ got to start thinking these things through first.

MoS


	30. The Culmination

Warnings: Chazz is Chazz...and his brothers are no hell either.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

_

* * *

_

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Chazz was in a good mood.

No, scratch that.

He was in a _great_ mood.

He was in the best mood he'd been in all week.

For starters, he was back at Duel Academy, showing off how much he'd changed and how much stronger he'd gotten, and was rubbing their faces in.

Next, his plan had worked flawlessly. The second he had seen Jaden beat Bastian, and the second he'd figured out that the Slacker was going to be the school representative in up-coming duel with North Academy, the only thing that had entered Chazz's mind was finding a way to become North Academy's student rep and finally having that rematch with Jaden.

And finally, the one thing that had sky rocketed his mood was the fact that he was at Duel Academy as the North Academy representative, was dueling Jaden Yuki again, the thrill was back, and, best of all, he was _winning_.

There had been a few shaky moments, when Jaden had once again managed to pull something out of his ass at the last second to save himself, but Chazz was still feeling pretty confident in himself, and, of course, in his Armed Dragon.

He had never been so afraid in his life as he had been the moment Jaden had (_somehow_) managed to destroy his Armed Dragon Level 7. A small-scale panic attack had surged through him, and his only thought had been that his brothers were going to kill him. (Of course, that was stupid. They would never sink so low. They'd hire someone to do it, then hire someone else to hide the body. He was pretty that was what had happened to his favourite cousin.)

When he'd managed to calm himself down enough to actually think straight, he'd realized that all Jaden had done was find some time to delay the inevitable. Really, he'd bought himself a few turns, two or three at best, but that was it. After that he was a goner. So why not let the duel spin out a bit longer. More dramatic effect, after all.

But then the boy had started blathering on about another duel, and something in his tone set Chazz on edge. Something warm and open and reaching out to him (that scared him more than he dared to admit.) was in Jaden's voice, and Chazz, who had lived his whole life fighting for every scrap of respect he was given until he had reached the top, didn't know how to respond to it.

So he threw it back in Jaden's face, assured in his belief that Jaden would be offended, and would withdraw the…whatever it was.

To his horror, not only had Jaden not withdraw…the warmth, Chazz's refusal seemed to give him more steam, making him push harder at the walls Chazz had built up. And Chazz, who had never had that happen before, felt the panic attack rearing its ugly head.

Because he couldn't deal with this. He didn't know what to make of Jaden, who didn't care about Chazz's money, who was only impressed (not intimidated, like Chazz had hoped) by his Armed Dragons, and who seemed to think that dueling for dueling's sake was the way the world worked.

And maybe, Chazz had forced himself to acknowledge, it was the way Jaden's world worked. But a Princeton's world was a different world from that of the common folk, and while something in Chazz desperately wanted to return that big smile on Jaden's face, his brothers' lessons won out (just as they always did). And those lessons dictated that he crush his opponent with no mercy.

And then Jaden had said it.

"_You're an awesome opponent Chazz!"_

The words had reverberated deep in him. When was the last time that anyone had said that to him? When had anyone ever called him a good _opponent_? A good duelist sure, a good Princeton, maybe once in a blue moon, but a good opponent? Never. No one had ever acknowledge him during the duel like, either too scared, or too much of a sore loser. Somehow, it seemed like a compliment.

' _How sad is it_,' Chazz thought, ' _that a Slifer Slacker will acknowledge me, but not my own brothers_.'

Because that was what was at the core of all of it.

That was what he wanted, needed, and craved more than anything in the world.

He wanted Slade and Jagger to acknowledge him, not as their brother, not as a part of their plan, but as someone on the same level as them.

He wanted his brothers to see him as an equal. And that wasn't going to happen unless he beat Jaden.

Jaden had, Chazz was ready to admit, played a good game. Several of those moves had been rather brilliant, and while they were relatively simple, they had saved him time and time again. It had been a good duel, Chazz would admit to that much (in his head. Thoughts like that should never be voiced out loud). Though he had seen all of Jaden's monsters before, there was still a thrill at seeing them again that Chazz had missed.

The thrill was what Chazz had been looking forward to the most about dueling Jaden. While vengeance had been what mostly occupied his thoughts, one small corner of his mind had whispered the whole time about how much…_fun_ it would be to duel Jaden again. To duel the boy who had re-ignited the spark that was his love of Duel Monsters.

In his mind, perhaps, Chazz thought that Jaden was a good opponent too. He would never say it to the boy. Hell, he was never going to admit that he'd even had the thought. But, for a brief, but powerful second, Chazz had seen Jaden as an equal.

But equal or not, the Slifer was still in his way.

" I activate the equip spell card Armed Changer!" Chazz clenched his fist and slapped the card down onto the disk, trying very hard to ignore the first stirrings of disappointment at the fact the duel would soon be over.

" If I discard another spell like it to the Graveyard, I can activate this baby!"

Above him, a set of three drills took the place of his dragon's claws on its right hand.

" Now attack Jaden's Wildheart! Dragon Driller!" The arm of his dragon blurred into a red cycle that whipped around its shoulder. It lurched forward, and the dizzying blur smacked into Wildheart, who vanished in a flash of light and stars. Jaden looked to where his Elemental Hero had stood, sighing.

" See ya, buddy." He murmured.

" Hey, pay attention! I'm not done yet! Since Armed Dragon took down a monster in battle using Armed Changer, I can bring a monster back to my hand, so long as it doesn't have more attack points that the monster that was just destroyed. Guess what I'm gonna bring back?"

" An Armed Dragon?" Jaden guessed.

" Wrong!" Jaden looked surprised, and Chazz thrilled to it. " I'm going to bring back my Masked Dragon, and then use him to activate Armed Dragon Level 7's special ability!"

He pointed at Jaden.

" So it's time for your Hero Brats to go bye-bye!"

Three electric blue energy disks went zooming off of the dragon and slammed into the three kneeling Hero kids. There was a flash of light, a small explosion that ruffled Jaden's hair, and then his side of the field was empty, save for the dissipating plumes of smoke.

Chazz couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, feeling more assured than ever of his victory.

" You're enjoying this a little too much Chazz."

" Shut up and make your move."

" You really need to loosen up." The warmth was back in his voice. " Stop worrying so much about winning, okay Chazz?"

" I know what you're doing!" Chazz shouted desperately, the panic rushing up as the sound of his brothers' voices demanding he crush the boy in front of him exploded in his ears. " You're trying to psyche me out because I'm winning! Well it won't work, Jaden, it won't fucking work! I'm onto you!"

" Chazz, you're totally starting to lose it. Would just stop being so fixated on winning all the time? It's ruining the game for you."

" Winning is the only thing that matters, Jaden!" Chazz spat. " I can't expect a Slifer Slacker like you to understand that!"

He expected Jaden to back off at that. If the insult didn't work, then maybe the thinly veiled fire in Chazz's eyes would warn the other boy off pushing him too far. But Jaden, as it appeared, had not come all that way simply to give up at the finish.

" No, I guess I can't." There was no omission in his voice, and the steel in his eyes set Chazz on edge. " But then, I haven't had Slade and Jagger Princeton breathing down my neck my whole life, have I?"

" …What?"

He had meant it to come out dangerously, like a subtle threat to the other boy. But it had ended up slipping out like a plea, the desperate call for help that Chazz had never dared to give. If Jaden had had any doubts about what he was doing before, they were all washed away by the frightened edge in Chazz's voice. He pounced on the vulnerability.

" Your brothers are _wrong_ Chazz. They're wrong about dueling, and they're wrong about you. Especially about you."

" You don't know what you're talking about."

" I heard you in the bathroom before the match."

Chazz froze. Of all the times for Jaden to see him…

" I know how much pressure you're under, and I know how hard it must be for you to have to live up to those kinds of standards."

" What do you know?" Chazz venomously. " You don't know anything!"

" I know what it feels like for people to not be there Chazz!" Jaden snapped. The other boy stopped glaring, looking at the Slifer in surprise.

" I know what it's like to feel discarded, to feel like you're worth shit. I know what that's like Chazz."

" So what?! What does any of that have to do with me?!"

" Because you're just trying to live up to the expectations your brothers have put on you! You aren't dueling for yourself anymore, Chazz. In fact, I don't think you ever _have_ dueled for yourself. All this time, it's been for Slade and Jagger, and you know as well as I do that that won't make anyone happy Chazz."

" Shut up!" Chazz shouted. " Shut up, shut up, _shut the fuck up!_ You don't get it! You don't get any of it! There's a _plan_, Jaden, and I have to do my part! I have to _win_! _Why_ can't you understand that?! _Why_ is that so hard for you to grasp?! I have to win, or else…or else…"

" Or else what Chazz?" There was no argument in Jaden's voice.

" _Or else I'll have let the Princeton name down_!"

" So let it down. It's just a name. You're Chazz before you're a Princeton, aren't you?" Jaden shook his head. " If you wanna win Chazz, it has to be for you, not for anyone else. If it's not, then it's not really _your_ victory, you know?"

" Just shut the hell up and play your damn cards!" Chazz snarled at him, making sure his eyes never drifted over to where the two older Princetons were watching. " You're about to lose, so this conversation is pointless!"

Jaden sighed.

" Guess the only way I'm getting through to you is by dueling. Okay then, I play The Warrior Returning Alive, which lets me bring a warrior back from the Graveyard and put him in my hand. And I choose my favourite feathered friend, Avion."

He held up the card.

" And then, I'll use Polymerization to fuse him with my best girl Burstinatrix to create-"

" The Flame Wingman?" Chazz interrupted. Across from him, Jaden sweat dropped and pouted like a child.

" No fair, Chazz! You totally stole my thunder!"

" Just hurry up and play the freakin' monster so I can beat you already."

" Well, I'm not sure about that last bit, but that seems like good advice. So come on out, Flame Wingman!"

To be perfectly honest, Chazz was no longer impressed with the strange result of the fusion between Avion and Burstinatrix. He blinked boredly as the weird, red and green monster landed in front of Jaden protectively.

" It's still short 700 points!" Chazz heard Syrus gripe from the stands.

" You shrimpy friend's got that right. Your Wingman doesn't stand a chance. Looks like he won't be helping you get a date for this Friday."

" I've already got one!" Jaden beamed. "You, me, and another duel, this Friday after school, got it?"

" I'll be at North!"

" No way! C'mon, you have to stay! This is the most fun I've had in a long time!"

" Why would I want to stick around here?"

" So we could duel! And all your friends are here, Chazz."

" I don't have any friends."

" You have me." That stunned him. " And what's mine is yours! We can all be friends, and hang out together, and restructure out decks, and copy each other's homework!"

" Are you trying to get me to stay, or make me leave faster?"

" Oh, c'mon, Chazz, everyone wants you to stay!"

" I don't!" Lia yelled from the audience.

"Just shut up and go along with it, Lia!"

" Make me!"

" Syrus, Chumley. You guys mind?"

Chazz couldn't see exactly what happened, but from the muffled shouts escaping that section of the stands, he could only hazard to guess.

" Now, where were we?"

" You were about to get beaten."

" No, I'm pretty sure I was convincing you to stay at Duel Academy."

" Never gonna happen."

" How about this: If I win, you stay. If you win…well, we'll talk about that if it happens."

" If?" Chazz let out a bout of laughter. " You mean when, Slacker. Fine, you've got yourself a bet. If you win, I'll stay at Duel Academy. And if I win…" Oh, the possibilities. " I have too many ideas to sort out right now. I'll think of something after I've won."

" Not happening!" Jaden shouted. " I play Miracle Kids! For every Hero Kid in my Grave, your dragon will lose 400 points. So guess what that means?"

" No…" Chazz whispered.

" Afraid so, bro! Your dragon loses 1200 attack points, making it weaker than my Flame Wingman and easy to attack!"

Chazz had never thought up a worst-case scenario. He had the amazing powers of delusion, and had long ago mastered them. He had made himself believe that by becoming the best, he could earn his brothers' admiration and love. He tricked himself into thinking that Alexis was really in love with him, and when she'd rejected him so harshly, it had to be someone else's fault. He'd refused to acknowledge the little spirit that had been hovering around Jaden's shoulder ever since he'd met the boy, and then in turn ignored the Ojama that had attached itself to him, writing them both off as figments of his imagination brought on by stress.

So Chazz had never thought about what he'd do if he lost. He never thought he was going to lose. He let himself believe that there was no chance that his victory wasn't assured, even though in every duel there was such a chance. He didn't think he could lose, and so, when Jaden played that last, brilliant move, Chazz's entire thought process shut down.

It was with numb disbelief that he watched Jaden's Flame Wingman tear asunder his one shot at happiness.

**_**

No one could say that the students of Duel Academy didn't stand as a united front in the face of a common enemy. Though they might bicker in between themselves in the day-to-day lives, when an opponent who threatened them all and their school rolled up, it was one student body, one large mash of blues and red and yellows, that they faced.

Slade and Jagger Princeton obviously hadn't expected that.

When Jagger had yanked Chazz off the ground by his collar and started snapping in his younger brother's face, Jaden had stormed forward, demanding Chazz be let go. Scoffing at his bravado, Jagger had gone so far as to yank his balled fist back and make as if to punch Chazz before something had been done. Chazz, eyes closed and wearing the face of someone braced for pain, didn't notice the approach of what had come to be known as the Slacker Club. He only noticed when he was hauled from Jagger's grip.

" C'mon, idiot." Alexis said, a firm hand on his shoulder. " Let's get you outta here."

He looked, dazed, over to his brother.

" But, he was…" He trailed off, staring at Bastian, who had Jagger's wrist in a tight grip, and was bending it backwards slightly.

" That's _quite_ enough of that." The British boy said conversationally.

" Let me go you punk!"

" Now, now, try to control your temper. You're on national television, after all."

" Those cameras are shut off." Slade snapped.

" Oh, are they?" Bastian raised and eyebrow, and pointed.

The cameramen and the director with the megaphone were surrounded by a giggling group of Obelisk girls, who were batting their eyelashes and sticking their well-outlined chests out into greater focus. Beside them, completely unnoticed, Lia and two other girls (one a blonde and the other a redhead whose brown roots were showing) had angled one of the cameras at the stadium floor. As she noticed the eyes on her, Lia smirked and gave a little wave.

" So the asshole thing is a family trait. Must be a genetic defect."

" You okay up there, Lia?" Alexis called. " How are the cameras?"

" They're a bit different that what I'm used to," she said, " but Jessica seems to know what she's doing."

She indicated the blonde, who popped up from behind the lens of the camera and smiled a very fake smile.

" We've got some _great_ lighting in here. " She purred, smoothing out the wrinkles in her Blue uniform. " You two are very photogenic. Right Mariam?"

The redhead nodded.

" Oh yeah, totally. You guys, like, totally deserve to be on TV." She snickered at her own joke.

" You little bitches!" Slade shouted, marching over to where the swinging ladder that led up the platform was. " If you break any of that equipment-"

" Oh, go fuck yourselves." Mindy snapped as she jumped down off the platform. " We're not scared of a couple of playground bullies, are we girls?"

A rousing chorus of 'Hell no!"s had Slade stepping back, scowling, and yelling at Jagger to hurry up so they could leave.

**_**

Jaden grinned as Ms. Dorothy pressed a firm kiss on Chancellor Sheppard's cheek.

" Jaden!" A familiar voice called. He turned to see the boy from earlier that day running toward him, Ruby Carbuncle shimmering into existence on his shoulder.

" Ah just wanted to say goodbah before we left." The boy stuck his hand out. " Ah'm Jesse, bah the way. Jesse Anderson." He broke off laughing. " Ah've been waitin' all day t'tell ya that."

" Well, Jesse," Jaden took the offered hand, " it's nice to properly meet you."

" Yeah, Ah know, rahght?" The boy – Jesse looked right up into Jaden's eyes. " Ah wanted to say nahce duel too, Jaden."

" Call me Jay."

" Ah mean it. That was incredible. Ya've…Ya've really inspired me, Jaden Yukeh."

Jesse took hold of the hand he had grasped in his left hand with his right one as well. Jaden rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks burning from the intensity of Jesse's green eyes.

" Ah…Ah want to come back here someday, Jaden. And Ah want to duel ya. Ah'm gonna bond with mah deck, and get as close to mah monsters as Ah possibleh can, and then, when Ah'm ready, Ah'll head on back here and challenge ya to a duel."

" Sounds great! I can't wait to meet your Crystal Beasts." Jaden smiled.

It would have been a beautiful moment, if the flash of a camera hadn't cut in.

" Lia?" Jaden called without looking away from Jesse.

" Yeah?" A female voice answered.

" Please don't tell me you're standing behind me with a camera, taking pictures of all the private moments in my life."

" Okay then, I won't."

" Lia?"

" Yes?"

" I hate you just a little bit."

" Je t'aime aussi, chéri."

" And now I can't understand you."

The brunette in the yellow jacket just sighed.

" Never mind, just go back to staring lovingly into each other's eyes."

That had gone completely over Jaden's head, and it wasn't until he was watching the last trace of the submarine carrying his new friend disappear under the ocean's surface that what Lia had said caught up with him.

" _Eh_?!!?"

But the biggest surprise came as the two older Princetons were leaving. Syrus marched determinedly up to each of them, and kicked them both in the shins.

" Chazz is a jerk. But he's _our_ jerk. So leave him alone!"

* * *

Hello everyone! Welcome once again to Year One. Finally, I can get into the actual _plot_ of this story. I know what you're all thinking: _GX_ has a PLOT?!!!111! Well, maybe you're not all that bad, but hey, wasn't that what we all thought when we first started watching this show.

Jesse: Actualleh, mah first thought was: Ah've been sahgned on fo' four years ona show abou' CARD Gahmes?!

Yeah, yeah, sure, great, nobody cares what you think. Go talk to your sparkly family.

Jesse: Whah do Ah put UP wi' this abuse?

Because I OWN you, bitch! (holds up contract) And even if you hadn't signed it, I would still own you, because I am god here, kneel before me mortal! All shall love me and despair.

Syrus: How about I skip the love part, and just go right to the despair?

Oh, so I use you as a meat shield _one _time, and suddenly you get all distrustful of me. I see how it is.

Jesse: If you're a gawd, whah don't ya just git rid o' Yubel yo'self?

Dragon people are immune to deity powers.

Jesse: ...What?

Section B, Paragraph 47, Line 556-A37 - The Escape Clause for Magical Creatures Deemed to Possess Godlike or Near Godlike Powers in One or More Mythological Tales. Includes, but is not limited to, Dragons, Nymphs, Naiads, Hercules.

Syrus: Hercules?

He's a classification ALL his own.

Jesse: Where th' HELL is this stuff written?

In the Amended Version of the Godhood Consitution, Circa the Beginning of Time. It states that any being coming into divine power in a self contained universe may have power over said universe, but does not have power over any other universe, nor should they try to impose control over any other universe but their own.

Syrus: Wait, aren't we from anther universe?

Not quite. While you physically and, for the most part, mentally resemble beings from the universe created by Kazuki Takahashi-sensei, because I put my own twist on your experiences, you ultimately became my own characters, and therefore are a part of my universe.

Syrus: But don't I still belong to Takahasi? Isn't that why you have to put that disclaimer at the beginning of every chapter?

Yes and no. In body, spirit, and heart, you are still Takahashi-sensei's creations. But I created this storyline, or universe, out of my own head, and by placing you in it and having you react to the situations of this universe, things you never encountered in Takahashi-sensei's universe, I have altered your characters enough for you to split off from your original design - Syrus Trusedale/Sho Marufuji of Takahasi's universe - and become mine own characters and thus allow me to have absolute power over you.

Jesse: But th' oringal ideah cahme from this Kahzukeh guah, rahght?

Yes, and this universe we are in right now is on the fringes of the original universe. But it deviates enough so that I am the god here. I still have to answer to the basics set out by Takahashi-sensei, but I have the power to alter the universe he laid out and make it my own. This is what all authors of fanfiction do. We create our own, self-contained universes with our plots, and we reign supreme in them because they are ours. The characters, essentially, become ours because no author can perfectly mimick the original characters. Someone else created them, and no one knows a character better than their creator. No one else will be able to properly understand Lia but me. And because I created her from my own mind, rather than altering, I have more control over her than I do over you guys. But the thing is, since I created her, I care about her more, so I won't be as hard on her as I will be on you. It's human nature. Understand?

Syrus: ...My head hurts.

Tell you what, I'll just translate, okay? (mumbles) Shit, that was one HELLUVA tangent we went off on.

Jaden and Chazz again - These two...they have such an interesting relationship. In the original anime, Jaden was just this goofy kid who was friends with everybody. And Chazz was reluctantly pulled into that group of people Jaden hung out with the most. There is a hint of Jaden and Chazz sharing something deeper, like a rivalry, but it never reached the epic proportions that were set by the Naruto and Sasuke dynamic (the tragic friendship that could have been the most awesome bromance ever, but had to end in flames due to ambition and outside forces). I want to flesh out that aspect of their relationship. In this story, Jaden is focusing more on Chazz, and is trying to connect with him on a personal level. Jaden, in the canon, never really lets Chazz know that he saw him in the bathroom, getting to caught up in the duel to care. Here, Jaden acknowledges Chazz's pain and flat out makes promises to help him (the more Jaden says he wants to del Chazz again, the more he's trying to reach out) And Chazz here, instead of being the antagonistic comic relief, is, under all his hot air and puffed chest, is just a scared little boy who wants his brothers' approval (sounds a little like another emo kid, doesn't it?). He sees Jaden reaching out toward him, and he subconsciously wants to reach back, but is too introverted and pressure to be the best to be able to. Chazz, under it all, is a remarkably complex, interesting, and above all else, _good_ character. Chazz wants to be a good person, deep down. He wants to make the right decision. He wants to be friends with Jaden and he wants to be free of his brothers' pressuring and he wants to love the game again. He's just too messed up right now (although, less messed up than he was before) to be able to make the right decision. Chazz, I don't think, has ever had a real friend before, and Jaden is going to strive to be the first. Chazz and Lia are more alike than they realize. Both are isolated, both don't respond well to kindness or friendship (althought Lia takes it better, aminly because she doesn't hold herself above Jaden anywhere but academically.), and both have been hurt by family they loved. And because they are similar, they clash. Chazz looks at Lia, and sees a person who has the chance to change herself (because she is younger, and because she has people willing to try for her), and her refusal to infuriates him. Lia sees Chazz as callously flaunting his loneliness like a prize, and Lia (who hates her isolation even though she won't admit it) finds this offensive. They're quite alike, and it will take someone like Jaden to be able crack Chazz like he did with Lia.

I know what it feels like for peopel to not be there. - Jaden, in his flashbacks, is usually pictured alone. I have made many references to 'babysitters' over the course of this story. See if you can guess what this means.

Staring lovingly into each other's eyes - ...My inner Spiritshipping fan came out.

Jesse: You're inner what?

Don't you have an encounter with a dragon lady to be recovering from?

Syrus: It's been a week...

Are you saying you two feel up to takig on Yubel and getting our protagonist back?

Jesse/Syrus:...

I didn't think so. Now, where was I? Oh yeah.

" Je t'aime aussi, chéri." - I love you too, darling/dear.

I think that's about it. Now, gather round minions. Tonight, we plot the takedown of a dragon!

Jesse: Ah don't bahlieve it.

Syrus: _You're_ going to _plan_?

...You're lucky Section C Paragraph 8 Line 246 forbids me from killing any borrowed characters outside of the perimeters of the established universe, or in places where the Fourth Wall does not apply.

Syrus: Huh?

The Fourth Wall Clause. I hate it.

Jesse: Let's not git inta this again...

MoS

P.S. - I bullshitted that entire speech at the beginning of the AN. Also, Author's Notes are considered the Consitution to be outside of the Fourth Wall; they are an aspect of metacognition, and thus they don't exist within the actually story.


	31. The Trip

Warnings: Lia development. Interesting Lia development.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

_

* * *

_

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

By this point in time, Lia supposed she should have expected it.

But to be perfectly fair, the day had started out normal enough.

In the middle of her third period Photography class, right as they were discussing landscapes and how to properly take a shot of them in all different kinds of light, that strange Alchemy professor, the one Lia remembered as the head of Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley's dorm, knocked softly at the door, making nervous motions with his hands.

" Um, yes, I am…here to talk about tomorrow?" He'd said. The teacher, a pretty young thing whom Lia guessed had just recently gotten out of Teacher's College, invited the tall, dark haired man in. In his arms, Lia had noticed, rested the large cat that seemed to follow him everywhere.

" Class~!" the Photography teacher had chirped. " We're very lucky! Professor Banner (' _**That's**__ his name_.' Thought Lia) has arranged for a very special surprise tomorrow!"

" What, does she think we're five?" Jessica hissed into Lia's ear. The brunette nodded.

" She's trying _way_ too hard."

The longhaired man stood up at the front of the room, his grip on his cat tight. Under the lens of his rectangular glasses, his eyes remained shut.

" Um, yes…well, I have…shall we say arranged a little field trip for my class."

" Which class?" One of the boys in the front row shouted.

" My Duel Alchemy class. We are planning on going to the excavated ruins, just off the main island. It would be a very educational trip, but the school board requires that at least two classes have to be willing to miss a day in order for the excursion to be sanctioned. And since your teacher was kind enough to recommend you…"

He trailed off, sheepishly scratching at his cheek.

" It will be an early morning, and a long hike, but there is a short boat ride, and everything has been pre-paid for, so there is no cost."

" Why us?" Jessica called.

" There will be some spectacular sights along the way. The trees, the cliffs, the ocean, not to mention the ruins themselves." Their teacher interrupted, clasping her hands under her chin. " Professor Banner has told me _all_ about it, and it sounds wonderful!"

" When did he do that?" One of the boys in the last row whispered.

" In between blow-"

" Shut it, Drake!" Jessica hissed. The boy stuck his tongue out at her, and Lia rolled her eyes.

" Such standards Obelisk has for its students. Really, it's a wonder anyone gets in."

The boy opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by a mournful sigh.

" I _wish_ I could go with you, but I have a workshop to attend tomorrow, so it's either you take the trip with Professor Banner, or you come here and get taught by a supply teacher."

" Free day, here I come." Someone whispered.

" Now, since this will be such an educational experience, I will be offering my students extra credit if they come. I think that it would only be fair if you were offered the same."

" Best picture gets an A!" The teacher chirped, smiling at Banner. " I'll trust you to take good care of my students, Professor. They can be a handful, but they're really all darlings when you get down to it!"

" Gag me." Lia scrunched up her nose. " What is this, an after school special from the fifties?"

" Think Teach got into the crack this morning?"

" When doesn't she come to school high?"

" Why do think they call it _high_ school?"

" …"

" …"

"…Dude, that was bad."

" I know."

Lia rubbed her temples, scowling at the prospect of spending an entire day with the idiots seated behind her (Hell, she could barely take the single period she had with them. And since this was a mainly Academic class, none of her friends were there to soothe her frayed nerves. At the very least, Jessica seemed to provide a balm.)

" There's no way those guys will get up that early." The blonde shook her head. " They took this course thinking it was going to be easy. There's no chance they'll put in that much effort."

" You're right." Lia leaned down on the desk as, up at the front, she watched Professor Banner edge slowly away from the batting eyelashes of the Photography teacher. " So are you going to go?"

" Maybe." Jessica shrugged.

" You seem more into video cameras than still shots."

" I like cinematography more, but this is the closest thing offered to it here, so…"

" Is that what you wanna take in university?"

" Probably. You?"

" I don't know yet. I thought maybe sociology, but I love this class. Maybe I'll see where photography takes me."

" You should sign up to be on the Year Book staff for next year."

" Huh?"

" They need a photographer, from what I've heard."

" Maybe." Lia leaned down on the desk.

" What's wrong?" Jessica looked over at her.

" It's nothing. Just…"

" Just?"

" Just nothing that won't clear itself up." Lia pulled herself up off the metal of the desk, watching Banner practically run out of the classroom. " Poor guy. He'll be scarred before the end."

" If she keeps batting her eyelashes like that, he'll be scarred before _lunch_."

" True."

And that was how the two of them, at least, had ended up convening at the front entrance of the school. Each girl had a backpack, stuffed with equipment, thrown over their backs. Jessica had forgone the usual Obelisk miniskirt in favour of a pair of demin capris, a blue tank top, and a cropped jacket. Lia, after much deliberation, had finally agreed to Mindy's request (how the girl had found out, Lia didn't know, but for the knowing grin Jessica was giving her, she could hazard to guess), and let the girl pick out a T-shirt out of her closet. Still grumbling about it, Lia had pulled the T-shirt on, winced as she realized that it dipped lower than she'd expected, and had been cursing impressively under her breath ever since.

Jessica, from the looks of her bulging bag, had managed to fit most of her cameras into it, save for the small, digital one she was hold. Around her own neck, Lia had hung her favourite camera, the worn strap resting comfortably against her throat.

" That thing's so old, why do you use it?"

Lia looked fondly down at the contraption.

" It's…something of a memento, I guess."

Jessica looked puzzled.

" Memento? Of what?"

" Quit being nosey, Jess. It's rude."

Both girls turned to look as Alexis, still wearing her Obelisk top but sporting a pair of jeans, came walking up, smiling at the both of them.

" I didn't know you were on this trip too, Lexi." Lia said.

" Didn't Professor Banner tell you?"

" He said he was taking his Duel Alchemy class."

" He has two. One first period, and one second period, which is the follow-up to the one that's in first period. That's my class."

She casually swung and arm over Lia's shoulder, dragging the other girl over to where the rest of the adventurers had gathered. Jessica followed, focusing her camera and snapping a shot of the gathered group.

" I thought I was gonna be the only girl on this trip." She stopped by where Banner stood. "At least now I'll have someone else to talk to." She looked Lia up and down. " Mindy got to you, huh?"

" Let a girl into your room once, and she thinks you're joined at the hip!" Lia grumbled. Alexis let out a bell-like bout of laughter.

" She's far from done with you yet, I'm afraid."

" Oh Dieu."

" She's got some very…_interesting_ ideas."

" I'm almost afraid to ask."

" You do know that she's in Fashion, right?"

"…" Lia's eyes bugged out. " How quickly can I get transferred out of this school?"

" No way, Koneko-chan!" Jaden hollered as he threw an arm around her unoccupied shoulder. " You're not going anywhere!"

" Yeah, if we have to suffer, so do you." Chumley said decidedly.

" What wonderful friends I have." Lia rolled her eyes.

" You love us and you know it." Jaden said as the group started off. The Photography students had their cameras pointed in all directions and every few steps the air was punctuated with the sounds of shutters snapping open and closed.

" I mildly tolerate you." The brunette aimed her camera at the sunlight sparkling through the green leaves overhead.

" I'll take it!" Jaden gave her shoulder a squeeze.

" Don't push it."

" Withdrawing arm."

" That's wise." There was a pause as Lia lowered the camera. " How did Professeur Banner managed to get you out here so early, anyway?"

" Threatened us with detention." Chumley answered. " Otherwise I'da taken study hall."

" Yeah, me too." Syrus agreed. " What about you, Lia?"

" We came for the landscape shots." Jessica answered. " A clear day, on a boat, with a view of the whole island? That's why half our class showed. Chances like this don't happen to often."

" Yeah, I know." Lia fiddled with the strap of her camera. " When I was in Africa, I managed to wake up early enough to get a shot of sunrise over the plains." She sighed dreamily, a far off look in her eyes as she stared ahead of them. " It was breath-taking."

The others in the group looked after her as she kept walking, in varying states of shock.

" What were you doing in _Africa_?" Syrus breathed. Lia froze, facing away from the group so that no one could make out the blush that had spilled onto her cheek as she realized exactly what it was that she had said.

" I…well, I was…um…" The girl stuttered, trying to cover up. " I was…doing…things…with my family."

" In _Africa_?"

" Yes, in Africa."

" What things?"

" Hey!" Alexis pointed. " Look over there! What is that?!"

As Jaden, Syrus, Chumley, and Jessica all darted to look in the direction the blonde had pointed in, Alexis curled her arm through Lia's and hauled her off, pushing through a small group of girls taking pictures of the ocean through a gap in the trees.

" Hey!"

" Watch it!"

" Sorry!" Alexis called over her shoulder, but kept running. The trees around them became green and brown blurs, and the snippets of the ocean in between them became nothing more than sparkling blue flashes. A sense of dizziness settled over Lia, but she fought it down, tightening her grip on the arm that was looped through hers.

It wasn't until they were up towards the front of the expedition, and far out of earshot that Alexis slowed down, breathing hard.

" So." She said, after she'd caught her breath. " Africa, huh?"

" Yeah." Lia responded. " Africa."

" Was it nice there?"

" Hot. Dusty. Vibrantly coloured. You come back home, and everything seems so washed out in comparison. Everything seems so…so _cold_ and _stale_ when you come back." She shook her head. " I don't know how to describe it. I'll have to show you the pictures sometime."

" Do you miss it?"

" A little. I mean, as much as I can, when…" She trailed off. " You know."

" Yeah…" Alexis groped for a change of subject. " Excited about the ruins?"

" They're apparently really beautiful." Lia said distractedly, looking out at the ocean as the trees thinned. " They should make for some good pictures."

" They're where they used to host the Shadow Games." Alexis said softly. Lia turned to her, knowing look in her eyes.

" Atticus?"

Alexis shrugged in a way that was meant to be nonchalant.

" Maybe. Who knows, right?"

" With any luck." Lia agreed as they came to a stop.

" Alright, students! While we're waiting for the stragglers to catch up, make yourself comfortable on the boat." Banner said with a smile, dropping has backpack onto the deck.

" Think he knows how to drive this thing?" Lia asked.

" I sure hope so." Was all Alexis could say.

**_**

The boat ride had been wonderful.

The sun gleaming off the small swells of waves, and sparkle of the water, and salty spray that ricocheted off the boat all had Lia leaning off the side with her camera, snapping shot after shot of the passing water, he hair whipped back by the wind.

" Make sure you don't fall overboard." Chumley called. " 'Cause I can't swim very well."

" I got her. "Alexis assured.

" Bien, bien." Lia snapped around shot. " Fantastique."

" She's gone." Jaden murmured.

By the time they'd docked and gotten off, the sun was high in the sky and the first grumbles of the hungry stomachs had started. Luckily, the last bit of the hike was a great deal shorter than the other one, seeing as how the island that the ruins were located on was significantly smaller than Academy Island (most uncreative name ever, in Lia's opinion. But then, she supposed she should be grateful that it wasn't called something like Blue Eyes White Dragon Island. That honestly wouldn't have surprised her.)

The ruins rose up high, arcing into the sky, covered in moss and cracked all down the side, eroded and just barely standing. Behind the arch stood the fallen remains of what may have once been a building. The foundation was all that was left, rubbed down by thousands of years of wind and rain, covered in a layer of bright green moss.

" Oh wow." Breathed Alexis.

" Yes, I know." Banner appeared quite enthusiastic. " It's beautiful, isn't it? Look, you can still see the faded remains of…"

" Well, he's certainly having a good time." Jessica observed as she took a picture of the ruined arch.

" Like a kid at Christmas." Lia agreed. Around them, the Photography students mingled about, moving around to get different angles of shots of the site. One boy had even scaled a nearby tree, and was hanging precariously off of a branch, his camera in one hand.

" He's gonna break his neck." Jessica shook her head.

" Huh?" Lia looked up from the patterned rocks she'd just been snapping. " What?"

" Him." Jessica pointed. Lia's eyes lit up.

" Now there's an idea."

" What?"

" Help me find a big rock or something!" Lia ran off towards where a large cliff jutted out, eyes looking at an outcrop that hung over where the building must have once towered.

" Lia!" Jessica sprinted after her. "Hey, wait up!"

Lia scrambled to the rock, throwing her camera around her neck. She felt around for a hold, and carefully pulled herself up. With slow, cautious movements, she felt around for a foothold, smiling when she managed to wiggle her foot into one. Applying pressure to the secure appendage, she pushed herself farther up the rock.

" What are you _doing_?" Jessica asked as she watched the brunette scale the large outcrop.

" I want a shot of the whole area." Lia explain, pulling herself into a kneeling position on the top.

" Well, don't get yourself killed." Jessica sighed, walking off. " I'm gonna see what everyone's up to, and then I'll set up the tripod, okay?"

" Got it." Lia called after her, focusing the lens. The sun reflected off an oddly polished stone, and she had to pull her angle up a little to avoid getting the light in her eyes. From her vantage point, she could see the other students milling around, cameras held out and a few trying to get an aerial shot, just like her. Just under the arch, if she squinted, Lia could make out at least two red jackets, and a mop of brown hair. Laughter drifted up to her, and she aimed the camera at the spot under the arch where her friends sat.

The second she snapped the shot, the rumble started.

At first she thought it was just her stomach demanding a meal, and she was grateful that no one was around to hear it. But then it got louder. And louder. And then it was a thunderous boom, shaking the ground with each boom. The rock under her legs gave a shudder, and then a quake, and then Lia found herself holding on for dear life as the once-sturdy outcrop bucked wildly. The rumbling noise came again, and, just over it, she could hear the frightened shouts of her classmates. Squeezing her eyes shut, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the rock, trying desperately to stay put.

Through her closed eyelids, a strange green light glowed, and she was prompted to open her eyes. As soon as she had though, her jaw dropped in stunned shock and her grip loosened just a little.

The entire site of the ruins was bathed in a bright green light, which appeared to be coming from the large spires of it that had shot up all around it. Through one of them, Lia thought she saw Jaden and Syrus stumble to their feet, staring in horror at the light. The spires grew brighter, encompassing the entire site in the eerie glow. The rumbles grew stronger, and Lia lost sight of her friends as she shut her eyes against the blinding light.

And then her chest exploded in pain.

With a choked gasp that was meant to be a scream, Lia tried hard to catch her breath. The skin under T-shirt burned and blazed, as though someone had pressed an iron brand that had been resting in a fire all day to it. With a shaking hand, she reached over to her chest, pressing the fabric of her shirt closer to her skin. Another choked gasp escaped her as she tried to calm her erratic breathing down. A searing heat that had started at her collarbone crept slowly up her throat, squeezing it shut until she was letting out little more than strangled pleas for air, and her vision (what little she could see with the light) blurred to shadowy outlines. She didn't even remember opening her eyes.

Her fingers trembled as she bunched them in her shirt, and her entire upper chest pulsated in time to her heart, each thump causing another shockwave of pain to rack her body. Her eyes, staring widely out at nothing, watered and stung, and the air she was trying so hard to get was saturated with the dust the rumbles had kicked up. The light crept closer to where she was sitting and Lia swore, that she could, through hazy eyes, almost make out figures, reaching their hands forward to pull her through.

Her frozen mind seemed to unfreeze as a glowing hand reached for her, and Lia did the only thing that seemed logical:

She threw her body weight to the side, and let herself tumble down the side of the rock into blackness.

**_**

When she woke up, Jessica was leaning over her, pressing something cold against her forehead.

" Lia?" She asked. The brunette groaned, putting a hand against her aching head. " Thank God. You took a nasty fall off that rock. I told you to be careful."

" No, you told me not to get myself killed." She sat up. It proved to be a mistake when the world spun sharply and she felt sick. Jessica lowered her back to the ground. " And seeing as how I am still alive…"

" Stop making jokes. You had us all worried. I mean, the way you went careening off that rock." The blonde shook her head. " You really could've hurt yourself."

" I'm fine." Lia insisted, sitting up slowly once again. This time, the world stayed the proper way round.

" Says the girl who's bleeding." Jessica scoffed.

" What?!" Lia looked down her body. Sure enough, on the front of her T-shirt by the collar, was a dark red splotch of blood. Lia put a shaky hand against it, and, to her horror, her fingers came back wet.

" Mais…mais…_quand_?" She whispered, staring down at her red fingertips.

" You must have hurt yourself when you had your accident." Jessica shrugged.

That wasn't it. Lia was sure of it. The fall had been deliberate, she knew that much, but there had been…there was pain before the fall. There had been the rumbles that had made the ground jump, and then the explosion of light over the ruins, and then…what then? Lia screwed her eyes up, trying to remember. The light had engulfed the entire excavation site, and then…

Lia gasped, her hands twisting in her T-shirt to automatically stave off another ripple. Jessica looked at her oddly, but Lia ignored her.

Then there had been pain, exploded off her chest and crawling all down her body, slithering up her throat and choking off her air like that long ago awful mist. And then the light had reached for her, and there were figures trying to pull her in, and then…

Then she'd thrown herself off the outcrop, having lost sight of…

" Alexis!" She whipped around to look at the arch. It was empty.

She turned frantic eyes on Jessica.

" Alexis and Jaden and the others! What happened to them?! Are they hurt?! Where are they?!"

Jessica looked away from Lia's eyes.

" I don't…know."

" You _don't know_?!"

" The second that weird green light fade (so she _hadn't_ dreamed it up), we looked for them. Jaden, Alexis, Syrus, Chumley and Professor Banner. We looked for them on the site. But…" Jessica trailed off, wringing her hands. " …but they were…gone."

" _Gone_?!" Lia was incredulous. " _How_?!"

" Vanished." Jessica murmured. " Into thin air. They were just…gone."

Lia looked over at the ruin she had snapped the photograph of from the rock overlooking it. In the afternoon sun, it looked peaceful and gentle, completely unaffected by the small quakes and the bright green lights that seemed to have swallowed up her friends.

" Jessica," Lia said thickly, " what just happened here?"

* * *

Hi everybody! Sorry about the delay, university stuff happened. I'm off in September for my first year of university, and I'm nervous as all hell. Reassure me guys!

Jesse: Ya can't catch a crazeh dragon ladeh, and ya expect these people ta make ya feel better 'bout goin' off ta universiteh?

Shut up Anderson. We all know you're just gonna bypass post secondary anything and jump right into the pro circuit. Blah, blah, blah, card games! _Some_ of us aren't that lucky and need actual _degrees_ in fields to be able to get work.

Syrus: ...So you're taking Anthropology?

...Shut up!

Syrus: No, really. I've never even _heard_ of that!

You and half the world. Can we move on? How about some translations?

Dressing for the trip - I told you all I'd get Alexis in a pair of jeans, didn't I?

The crazy Photography Teacher - is for your amusement. Enjoy.

The triumphant return of Jessica - Jessica and Mariam are bascially Lia's equivalent to Jasmine and Mindy. Two girls, on friendly terms with the main girl (Alexis and Lia respectively), but more often tahn not, fade into the background. Personally, I like Jessica. She's fun to write, and one of my few uncomplicated characters. Her life is good. She can't complain, and she has no responsibility to the world, whereas Lia tends to get dragged along in the saving process, and will eventually end up developing a hero complex. Her and everybody else Jaden hangs out with.

The camera- something of a memento. That's important for Lia's character. So is Africa. Africa is important.

Lia and Alexis - Can I just say how awesome it is to write these two girls. They came out so naturally, it was almost like I was just copying a conversation two people were having in front of me. I've finally gotten to the point where I've developed the characters enough to let them write themselves.

Lia in pain - PAY CLOSE ATTENTION. This WILL be coming back on several occasions.

I think that's about it. Now, Syrus, bring me the blue prints.

Syrus: You can't mean-

Do no question me! Tonight, we catch a dragon!

Jesse: Ah'd be more impressed if th' last six plans had worked out rahght.

Quiet infidel!

Syrus: We don't get paid enough to put up with this.

You don't get paid at all.

Syrus" Exactly.

MoS


	32. The Crypt

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, speculations on characters, and Jaden...being Jaden.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_-

Run! Run faster! For god sakes, RUN!

Jaden: (being dragged along by the arm) I can't believe you just did that!

Yeah, well, what else was I gunna do?!

Jaden: Um, _not_ throw Syrus at the angry dragon...person...?

...Clearly, you don't know me very well.

Jaden: Right, yeah, sadistic bitch. Almost forgot.

How could you forget something like that?

Jaden: I've been held captive for weeks! She did things! Things I'd rather not talk about.

Yubel: (in the distance) MoS!

Crap! I thought Syrs would distract her for longer!

Jaden: What was he supposed to do?! Dress in drag and do the hula?!

No! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!...He was supposed to dress in drag and do the CAN-CAN!...the hula...that's just dumb...

Jaden: Sometimes you scare me.

Who scares you more, me or Yubel?

Jaden: (blanches) Yubel. Definitely Yubel. At least you just stop art verbal abuse.

In that case...RUN FASTER BITCH!

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Honestly, sometimes Alexis had to ask herself how she got into situations like this.

Really, she couldn't remember a time last year when she lay, bound up in bandages, in a slowly closing sarcophagus. Then again, she supposed that not many people could even say such a thing had _ever_ happened to them. It wasn't as if it happened everyday (but the fact that it was happening was enough to freak her out. Just a little).

That wasn't t say that she didn't have faith in Jaden's ability to save them all. Because she did, wholeheartedly. She had been around him too long, seen him duel too many times, to really have a doubt in his victory. He would probably lag for a while, probably take a few hits, but in the end, he would come through for them with flying colours, all while grinning like he was having the time of his life.

That was probably what she liked best about Jaden (and to be fair, there was quite a bit that she liked). She liked the way he always came through a duel smiling. She liked the way he never really cared if he won or lost. She liked the way he managed to make dueling fun again, for those he was playing against and those watching on the sidelines.

Alexis wasn't stupid. Far from it. She had known from the first instant she'd had a real, proper conversation with Jaden (the night Chazz had first challenged him, and they had never concluded the match) that he was different from all the other kids at Duel Academy. For one thing, he hadn't been the least bit intimidated by her blue uniform.

That had intrigued her. In the year it had taken her to climb up the ranks and become the Queen of Obelisk Blue, she had never meet anyone (aside from a few, misguided nutcases) who didn't back down and obey her every whim because of the colour on her clothes.

Truth be told, it had gotten quite boring after the first few days.

There was no more challenge, no more edge, no more thrill. All there was was a certain, predictable monotony. The kind that Alexis had always hated, even when she was a little kid.

And then Jaden had dueled her for his and Syrus' freedom, and Alexis fell in love with dueling again.

(She might just have fallen in love with something else as well, but there was no way in Hell she was going to admit to that.)

But he'd put the thrill back in dueling. And he'd done more than that. He'd broken up the dreary day-to-day schedule into a hundred thousand little pieces. He'd taken all the rules of Duel Academy (The Obelisks are the ultimate, you don't cross them, your rank is your rank, and it defines you, Slifers are worthless), and breezed by them like they hadn't existed. Alexis couldn't remember ever meeting someone with so much zest and spirit in her life, aside from her brother. And even Atticus would be hard pressed to measure up to Jaden in sheer optimism.

But even then, even after her defeat, Alexis had had her doubts. One duel didn't make him a champion. He'd won his freedom, yes, but who was to say that that one victory wasn't a fluke? Alexis supposed that was what had first drawn her to him. He was the first to really beat her since she'd come to the school, and she wanted to see if he could keep winning.

In class, he was nothing special. A typical Slifer Slacker (though, she'd noticed, that had changed dramatically), he slept in class, didn't talk notes, and did badly on tests. The boy who'd dueled her on the lake seemed infinitely different from the boy who dozed on his desk while the teacher was talking and painted pupils on his closed lids to make it look like he was paying attention. Alexis had almost wondered if she'd been wrong about him. Maybe he wasn't so special.

And then he'd beaten Chazz.

It was an upset unlike anything that had ever happened at Duel Academy before. Never before, not _ever_, had a Slifer stood up to an Obelisk. That in itself was a shock. But a Slifer, a red-coated, lazy Slifer Slacker _beating_ an Obelisk?

That was impossible.

And Jaden Yuki had done it.

Alexis had been impressed. She'd been more than impressed, more than intrigued. She'd been stunned, and not because of the shocking conclusion of the duel. She'd been stunned by the fact that she had been rooting for Jaden the whole time. From his disappearance, to that down right fiendish scheme of Lia's, right down to the wings of Winged Kuriboh sweeping across the field, she had wanted, with all her heart, for Jaden to win.

It had been a humbling experience, to realize that she had wanted a Slifer to beat her fellow Obelisk.

And at the same time, it felt like a great weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders. She'd never felt so free since she'd first stepped off the boat at Duel Academy. For once, she wasn't bound by ranks and rules and dorm colours. For once, she wasn't the Queen of Obelisk Blue, or the best _female _duelist (God, how she hated that label) on campus, or Atticus Rhodes' hot little sister. She was just another duelist, lost in a crowd of them, cheering herself hoarse.

Alexis had loved that feeling. She loved the freedom being around Jaden (who didn't make her feel like she had to be a Blue; who didn't judge her dueling by her gender; who talked with her and dueled with her and simply hung out with her) who made her feel like she didn't have any expectations to live up to.

So she had stayed around him, because she liked it, screw what everyone else thought. Let them call her a Sympathizer. She would wear the title with pride. Let them hate her. She had _real _friends who meant a whole lot more to her. Let her reputation fall through. She didn't need it. With her friends, she had more than enough encouragement to make her own way in the world.

She'd stayed around Jaden, because she wanted to see where it would take her. And she liked the place it was. A small, but loyal group of friends, and a heap of adventures she had only ever dreamed of. Excitement and anticipation seemed to follow Jaden like a lost puppy, and Alexis was always ready for a good duel.

And then Jaden had become Duel Academy's student representative, and the real adventure began.

Alexis could remember sitting, biting her lip, on the edge of her seat, hands clasped together as if in prayer, silently encouraging Jaden onward. Her knuckles white, her face pale and her eyes blazing, she'd watched as her champion, hero, and friend had persevered against every odd Chazz and North Academy had thrown at him with a smile and a quick move. And when he'd emerged, glowing in the light of his victory, Alexis had never felt so justified in her beliefs as she had in that instant. Who would dare mock her now, when a Slifer had won the School Duel? Who would call her a fool for believing in him now, when he had bought their school another triumph over North Academy? She'd tossed a smirk over at the stunned group of Obelisk boys behind her, feeling more satisfied than she had in a long time.

It wasn't that Jaden was the most ruthless duelist, or that he had the most powerful cards, because that wasn't it. Jaden was simply the best because he dueled simply for the sake of dueling, not because he wanted to win, or to beat someone else. He believed in having fun while dueling, and that, Alexis had come to realize, was the key to all his victories.

It was a rare treat, to find someone who had followed the path to Duel Academy because they loved the game. All the people Alexis knew, whom she'd grown up with (herself included, she hated to admit), dueled to win. While they all may have loved the game just as much as Jaden once, the lure of money and the promise of glory had all driven them from that path, and they had lost a part of themselves, Alexis thought, along the way.

And then Jaden Yuki had dropped into all their lives, and rekindled the fire that had all but gone out. He had some sort of gift, she reasoned, to make his opponent forget what they were playing for, and just enjoy the game. He made everyone forget winning and trophies and money, and just focus on the feel of the cards between their fingers, and sound of a monster being summoned, the heady rush of drawing exactly the right cards. It was a gift. It had to be, because knew she was never happier than when she was dueling Jaden (although, seeing her brother again might change that.)

So she knew Jaden was going to win.

It was only a matter of him winning before the lid slid overtop of her and locked her away forever.

**_*

Jaden felt a hot swell of anger bubble in his throat as the Gravekeeper Chief backhanded the Gravekeeper's Assailant, causing her to cry out in pain, holding her stinging cheek with the hand that wasn't grasping at the curved dagger.

" You should've attacked him faster!" The big man snarled, shoving the pretty masked girl away from him. " You useless wretch."

" That's no way to treat a lady!" Jaden snapped, gritting his teeth. " You're the one who messed up, not her!"

" Wasting your breath to defend your enemy." The Gravekeeper Chief shook his head. " You truly are pathetic. If you wish to survive in such a harsh world, you must be even harsher, a lesson you will soon learn when I bury you and your comrades in this tomb!"

" Not gonna happen!" Jaden pulled a card out of the deck in his duel disk. " And enemy or not, all monsters deserve to be treated with respect!"

" How insolent you are. It's a wonder no one has torn your tongue from your mouth yet as punishment. Perhaps I will do so before I send you to the tomb, so that when you meet the Spirits, your chatter will not annoy them." The man smirked at him. His Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier looked gravely at Jaden, his face betraying nothing. Beside him, the Assailant's eyes widened, and she drew in a sharp breath, looking at Jaden worriedly.

" Dude, you are messed up." He cringed.

" Do not address me with such vulgar words!" The Chief snapped. " You forget your place, boy! And you forget that I still have an attack to use!"

A red orb, shimmering with malevolent energy, formed in his cupped hand. He held it for an instant, letting the energy in it swirl and twist, before he whipped his hand out, and the energy shot forward in a bouncing wave, hurtling towards him.

" You're finished!" The Chief cowed victoriously, not noticing Jaden's smirk.

" The _Hell_ I am!" Jaden raised his hand. " I activate the trap card, Draining Shield!"

" That's impossible!" His opponent snapped as a green force field surrounded Jaden, blocking the red energy.

" Clearly, you don't know me very well. The impossible is what I do best!" The shield dissipated, and the red energy vanished into the air. " Not only does this card negate your attack, but it allows me to gain life point equal to your monster's attack points. So I'm up to 3900, pretty sweet, huh Chief?"

The man across the chasm that held his friends went red in the face.

" How dare you speak to me like that?!" He roared, throwing his arms about in fury. " I will see you flayed alive for your impudence!"

" Chill, would ya?" Jaden hid a smirk. He'd never understood why his laid back attitude tended to rile up his opponents, but if he could work it to his advantage (or just do something to lighten the mood of the tension fraught match), he wouldn't hesitate to use it.

" I've had enough of you!" The man shouted, his enraged voice echoing around them. " Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier! Attack!"

Jaden braced himself as the man, gripping his weapon tightly, came shooting forward, angling the spear to jab the body of the boy. Jaden grit his teeth as his side exploded into a searing pain. He was flung backwards against the rock, his body arching up as he felt the spear being wrenched from his gut. He closed his eyes as his head connected with the hard stone of his platform and stars danced in front of his eyes. Groaning in pain, he reached over, half expecting his hand to come back wet. But there was no blood, not even a tear in his shirt where the Soldier's spear had penetrated. It still hurt though, and Jaden struggled to sit up.

" And now, Gravekeeper's Curse will attack with Doomsday Purge!"

" That sounds painful." Jaden muttered.

" Oh, it is." The Chief sneered as his Curse began to glow a sickly yellow.

Abruptly, his throat was pinched closed and an oppressive force seemed to be pushing in all around him, squeezing him. He struggled to get air, his vision already tinged with black on the edges, and his head pulsated fiercely as the thing squeeze tighter, until he was afraid his head might just pop. Through his squinted eyes, he could see that he was surrounded by a yellow haze the same colour as the one surrounding the Gravekeeper's Curse. He managed to choke out a few curses in Japanese before his air was cut off completely. His body arched up, and he wondered, as his eyes fluttered shut, if he was going to die.

And then as suddenly as it had come, the force abated, and he gasped for air.

" You're proving yourself to be even less of a challenge then I had first anticipated." The Chief said. " How can I enjoy crushing you if you won't fight back?"

" You're not having fun?" Jaden questioned, his face puzzled. " How can you not be, when the duel is so awesome?"

The Gravekeeper Chief stopped dead, staring in utter shock across the valley at his opponent. Jaden grinned one of his biggest smiles, rubbing his sore side and trying very hard not to think about his friends down below him, almost completely hidden by the lids of the coffins.

" The lives of those you love hang in the balance, and you are losing the duel, and you call it awesome?"

" Hey, c'mon, I _always_ enjoy a good duel, especially when my opponent is so cool!"

" I thought I told you," The Chief pulled a card, " not to address me with your filthy slang."

" It's a compliment, bro!" Jaden insisted. "You don't have to be so uptight. It's not good for you."

" Well, what I am about to play is not good for _you_!" He put a card down on his disk. " I play Royal Tribute! This is spell forces both of us to discard every monster in our hands to the Graveyard."

With a growing sense of horror, Jaden realized what the Chief had done. With one card, he had removed all the monsters Jaden had planned on using to win, and sent them to the Graveyard, which, with Necro Valley on the field, meant that they were basically useless to him. Jaden grit his teeth again and scowled, trying very hard not to let his anger show. A heat shot through him briefly, and his eyes felt hot as he looked down at the slot through which all his monsters had disappeared.

He took a deep breath, and looked down at his deck with a plea on his lips.

' _If there was ever a time I needed the Heart of the Cards to come through for me_,' He looked over to where his friends were. The sarcophagi were almost completely sealed shut, hiding his friends' faces from view. He could still here their muffled shouts though, begging for him to save them, and his heart gave a trembled. He placed to fingers on his deck, and wished with all his heart.

' _It would be now_.'

He pulled the card on top out.

And relief filled him.

" Blade Edge." He breathed. Now here was a chance to make it right, if he could only work out a way to summon it.

" It does not matter what monster you have drawn." The Gravekeeper Chief taunted. " You have nothing to sacrifice to bring it out. Your draw was wasted."

' _He's right_.' Jaden bit the inside of his cheek. '_ With Necro Valley on the field, everything in the Graveyard is useless._' But he couldn't just give up. If he did that, Syrus, Alexis, Chumley and Professor Banner would all be lost along with himself. If it was only his life on the line, he might have been ready to make such a trade, but seeing as how there was more than just him at stake, that was not an option.

' _Everything in the Grave is useless…_'

' _Everything __**in**__ the Grave…_'

' _**In**__ the Grave…_'

" That's it!" Jaden shouted.

" What's it?" The Chief growled, eyeing the big smile on Jaden's face with trepidation.

" I'm sorry, 'cause I've had a lot of fun, but I gotta end this duel!" Jaden grinned.

" End it?" The Chief laughed. " How? You can't summon your monster! You can't use any of the ones in your Grave. How do you plan on ending it?"

" By using your Necro Valley field spell!"

The Chief stopped dead, staring at him in disbelief.

" Y'see, one of the monsters you had me discard was the Elemental Hero Necroshade, and he lets me summon an Elemental Hero without sacrifices one time. And one's all I'm gonna need!" He slapped the card down. " So c'mon out, Elemental Hero Blade Edge!"

Jaden might not care whether he won or lost in a duel so long as he was having fun, but that wasn't to say that he didn't like winning. He did, not because it meant that he was better than anyone, but because it was a human condition to prefer victory to defeat.

So Jaden let himself enjoy it just a little when Blade Edge slammed into Gravekeeper's Curse, and the man vanished in a puff of smoke and stars. The valley around them began to fade, and Jaden found himself once more on the ledge of the stone chasm, staring at the Gravekeeper Chief as he collapsed.

" Chief!" A female voice called. " Chief, are you injured?"

A girl who looked remarkably like the Gravekeeper's Assailant (and the girl he'd met when he'd first woken up) came running up to the kneeling man, bracing his back and holding him steady.

" Hey, is he okay?" Jaden called as he jumped the corner and ran towards his opponent. The three men who'd accompanied the girl (who also resembled the monsters he'd just beaten) stood up to block his path, holding their weapons menacingly.

" No!" The man rasped, leaning heavily on the girl. " He passed the challenge. He showed courage in the face of certain destruction. You will not harm him." He looked at Jaden with unreadable eyes.

" He was a worthy adversary."

" Thanks." Jaden beamed at the praise. " You were pretty awesome too. We should do this again some time, it was fun."

" You mean to say that you _enjoyed_ the Shadow Game?" The Chief looked shocked.

" You bet! A duel's a duel, right?" He paused. " Although, I coulda done without the 'buried alive' threat."

" There's has only ever been one other person who has show excitement rather than fear in these games. He, too, passed this challenge." The Chief reached under his cloak. " For earning your freedom, and the freedom of your friends, I give to you this medallion. May it serve you in times of need."

From under his black garb, the Gravekeeper Chief pulled out a golden piece of jewelry, attached to a piece of brown yarn. The piece was in the shape of a circle, with a smaller disk (that was unattached) held in place by thick bands leading to the outer circle. On the smaller disk were several carvings, the most prominent of which was an eye, not unlike those he'd seen on the drawings of the Millennium Items he'd seen on the walls of the abandoned dorm. In the center of the disk, serving as the pupil of the eye, was a small red stone. The entire piece itself was split right down the middle, the other half missing.

Jaden reached out, and took the piece.

" Thank you. " He said softly, staring at the red gem. " Is the other piece…?"

" With the other victorious challenger." The Chief nodded. " If you ever meet him, be wary. He is very strong."

" I'll keep that in mind." Jaden said as he slipped the medallion around his neck. It fell, oddly warm, against his chest. The Chief turned from him, and pointed to the ground below.

" It is done." He said. " Your friends are free, and waiting for you. Come, we will take you down to them."

**_**

Jaden, who'd come to expect random displays of affection from Syrus, managed to brace himself for the tight hug the smaller boy encased him in.

" I _knew_ you'd save me Jay!" The smaller boy cried. " I just _knew _it!"

" Easy Sy. I'll need those ribs later."

" That was 'liscious, Jay." Chumley said with a smile.

" Yes, well done." Banner nodded, holding Pharaoh tightly. " I knew you would pass this test."

Jaden shot him a sharp look, but his question was cut off by Alexis, who reached up and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek.

" I owe you one, Jaden."

He rubbed his cheek, feeling the skin burn under his hand.

" Anytime, Lex." He grinned at her, trying to keep his cheeks from lighting up too much. " What are friends for, after all?"

" You must leave now." The girl spoke up, grabbing all their attention. Syrus stared at her with unfocused eyes, and Chumley stood up a little straighter. Alexis moved closer to Jaden, almost putting herself between him and the girl. But Jaden walked around her, to look at the girl.

" I thought I recognized your voice." He reached up, and pulled down her mask.

The girl from earlier stared back at him unflinchingly.

" So it _was_ you."

" Yes. I am the Gravekeeper's Assailant." She made a bow. " I'm sorry I had to fight you, but my Chief commanded me."

" It's cool." Jaden smiled reassuringly at her. " So how do we get home?"

" You must go to arched entrance of the tomb." The Gravekeeper Chief answered. " And then wait for the three suns to become one. You will be transported home in the Veil of Radiance."

" You guys sure have impressive names for stuff." Chumley muttered as the five started walking. As they passed them, the guards holding spears bowed their head in respect to Jaden, who flushed at the treatment and tried to make them stop. He noticed, out of the corner of his eye as he told one of them to stop bowing to him, the Assailant running up.

" Wait!" She got his arm. " There's something I'd like you to do for me."

" Sure." Jaden looked puzzled.

" Um Jay?" Syrus tucked on his jacket. Jaden looked over his shoulder and saw Syrus staring at the girl with enraptured eyes. " Maybe you should introduce your friend."

The Gravekeeper's Assailant ignored him.

" When you get back to your world, and if you ever meet the one who holds the other half of the medallion, could you please give him a message for me?"

" You got it." Jaden smiled at her. " What do you want me to tell him?"

" Tell him the Yasmin is still waiting in the other world, and that she has not forgotten him." Her eyes softened. " And that my heart tells me we will meet again."

Jaden blinked, not even noticing as Syrus wilted beside him and slunk off.

" So, was this guy…like, your boyfriend, or something?"

" I do not know what the word means," Yasmin said as she half turned around, staring off into the distance, " but if it used to describe a man you care for, then yes, he was my boyfriend." She started to walk off. Jaden waved to her retreating back.

" If I ever meet this guy, I'll be sure to tell him! I'm sure he'll be happy to hear from you!"

He whipped around and ran after the others, not quite hearing Yasmin's last whisper.

" _I'll be waiting for your reply…Atticus_."

* * *

(panting) Well...that went...about...as well as...I expected...

Jaden:(also gasping for breath) You're...insane.

Hey...got you back...didn't I?

Jaden: Yeah, after _weeks_ of torture!

How bad could it have been?

Jaden: (crosses arms) I don't wanna talk about it.

C'mon.

Jaden: No.

It'll make you feel better.

Jaden: No way, no how! There is nothing on Earth taht will make me discusss what that crazy woman...man...whatever...did to me. Damnit, Yubel's confusing!

Jesse: (walks in) Whah's that?

Jaden: (face lights up; throws self at Jesse, crying) Jesse! Omigod I missed you _so_ much! Let's go over into this secluded area away from the audience and I can rant and rave about all the horrible stuff Yubel did to me while we restructure our decks and you can make me feel better and then I can get right on to repressing this horrible event like I do with every traumatic experience I've ever had, like that one time, at band camp-

Jesse: Ah'll help ya out if you promise t' nevah tell me what happened at Band Camp.

Jaden: Why?

Jesse: (serious) Because what happens at Band Camp stays at Band Camp. (takes Jaden's arm) Ah think Ah saw a nahce, dark corner ovah there.

Jaden: Yay, dark secluded corner! Yubel took me into a dark secluded corner. And then she hugged me. And then she hugged lower. And lower. ...And lower.

Jesse: Ya sure ya wanna talk about this?

Jaden: (latches onto arm) Yeah, I need to get it out of my system before I can start repressing.

Jesse: Ah. (walks out of sigh with Jaden)

...(stares after them, gleam in eyes)Heh heh...Spiritshipping...(notices audience) I'm not drooling! I'm not! And I'm not thinkinh about them making out! I know no one said that, I just wanted to reassrue you in case you were thinking it. Any of you. Yes, even you, the one in the back. Don't think I can't see you there...plotting...plotting terrible things...stop plotting!

Ahem. Moving on. Translations:

Yasmin getting slapped - this happens in the Japanese. Gravekeeper Chief (being the dick that he is) smacks her across the face. Jaden, as you probably guessed, takes offense.

Alexis kissing Jaden - My romance is just all over the damn place. The only pairing I know for sure is the one that isn't introduced until Year Two!

Yasmin's message - in the dub, Jaden never tells Atticus what Yasmin said, and we never hear from her again. I plan to have Jaden tell him, or at least have a flashback of Jaden telling him, and I might just bring Yasmin back for another go later on.

I think that's about it. ...Heh heh. (grabs flashlight; sneaks over to where Jaden and Jesse are) Aha! I knew-it?

Jesse: (looks up from duel) Do ya mahnd? We're kahnda in th' middle o' sumthing rahght now.

Jaden: Yeah, we don't go around shining flashlights in your eyes when you write! We were having fun!

...You have got to be kidding me. You guys have seriously been playing a card game this whole time?

Jesse: This is the_ Yugioh _franchahse. Everehthing comes down t' card games, ya know that.

...I have no words.

Jesse: That's a first.

Jaden: I'll say.

(puts flashlight away) You guys are mean.

Jaden: Someone has to keep you from getting a swelled head.

Jesse: Usually Sahrus and I do that-

Jaden: (wide-eyed) ...

(also wide-eyed) ...

Jesse: (also wide-eyed) ...

...(all together) OH _CRAP_!

MoS


	33. The Rider

Warnings: Omigod...is that...is that..._the plot_?! Oh god, it _is_! It is the plot! 33 chapters in and the plot has finally arrived! Woohoo!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

_

* * *

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**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

It had been one of the hardest weeks Lia could ever remember having, what with the small rumbles, the flashes of pain she was still getting, and the splitting headache she'd had for the rest of the day following her tumble off the rock. Not to mention the fact that her friends had all vanished into thin air (well, green filled thin air) in the blink of an eye. After almost four hours of worrying herself almost out of her mind, the emotional drain had taken its toll, and she was surprised that she'd managed to stay conscious for the boat ride home.

So, as she lay down in her bed that Friday, Lia was more than ready for the good, long rest the weekend promised her.

That promise went unfulfilled, however, when her videophone, resting on the nightstand by her bed, went off at three a.m.

She had been dreaming, something about sand dunes stretching out overhead and a sun, brighter and hotter than she'd ever seen it, blazing down on her. She stared out at the vast sea of sand, taking in the barren landscape and the faded, colourless sky. The air scorched the inside of her throat as she breathed in, and her skin felt itchy and tattered as the wind whipped about. An overwhelming sense of sorrow swelled in her chest, spreading slowly outwards until her arms felt heavy and her legs were water, unable to support her. She dropped her knees, hands braced on the stone railing in front of her. Her eyes stung as the tears slide down her cheeks.

She didn't even remember beginning to cry, but the tiny drops dripped off her chin and spattered on the stones beneath her. Cracks spidered out from where the tears had hit the stone, and cracks raced along the firm platform that held her. To her horror, the cracks converged, sliding together and opening up great holes in the rocks that supported her. She leapt to her feet, but when she tried to run, her legs were stiff, unmoving, rooted down to the crumbling floor. She looked down, yanking at her immobile limbs, and the dread that had been filling her magnified ten fold.

Seeping up out of the cracks in the ground, in curling, horrible tendrils, was a thick, entirely solid darkness, like the mist back in the cave so long ago. It had wrapped itself around her ankles, rooting her to the spot as the stone under her crumbled and shook, falling away to reveal a great, black abyss. Her eyes widened, taking in the gaping nothingness, and she tried to struggle, but the tendrils had crept up farther up her body, holding her in place.

And then she was back in the cave, the moonlight casting all the rocks around her into a blue glow. The etching in the stone floor shone in the light gleaming in through the skylight, and she almost had to turn away to keep it from blinding her. All around, the cracks grew, letting the darkness seep in, hauling her down into the abyss beneath her feet.

She blinked, and suddenly she was in the dead center of the circle carving, standing over the glowing stone, the only light in the total darkness around her. Then the sturdy stone under her feet vanished, and she slipped through, falling faster and faster into the inky black chasm, staring up at the circle that shone above her. And then it was the impossibly bright sun from earlier, beating down on her as she slipped away from the light.

The wind whistled around her, and not even she heard the name that was ripped from her lips in a moment of terror.

And then her videophone sounded in the darkness, and she was pulled from her tumble.

" Que?" Lia murmured groggily a she opened one eye, looking around at her pitch-black room. The curtains were drawn, and through them there was a faint spill of moonlight that just barely outlined the room. Sleepily pushing the covers off, she reached over to the source of the noise, a quick beeping that meant she was being contacted. She fumbled with it for a moment, trying to find the 'on' button in the dark. By chance, her fingers slipped over it, and Alexis' haggard, worn face lit up on the screen.

" Lia!" The blonde almost shouted in relief. " I've been trying to get a hold of you for twenty minutes!"

" C'est la midi de la nuit." Lia complained.

" Where have you been?!"

" Sleeping." Lia rubbed her tired eyes. ' _Et…rêvant, je pense__._' Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember.' _Mais au sujet de ce qui?_'

" Well, wake up, and come down to the nurse's office. "Alexis demanded.

" Il est trois le matin." Lia groaned, falling back against her pillow. " The only place I plan on going is back to sleep."

" But this is important!"

" So's my rest." Lia tucked herself back in. " Trust me, you do _not_ want to deal with me when I'm sleep deprived. If you think I'm a bitch now, just you wait."

" But…but…_Lia_!"

The Ra girl pulled herself back out from under the covers, glaring at the face displayed on the videophone.

" You have three seconds to give me one _very_ good reason as to why I should get out of my nice cozy bed and trot all the way down to the nurse's office in the dead of night."

" Jaden dueled a Shadow Rider."

And then she had Lia's attention.

**_**

" _Spirit whatzissnow?"_

_Lia looked up from her book, one eyebrow raised in incredulity. In front of her, Jaden beamed, proudly holding out the small, golden rectangle that hung from his neck. It gleamed in the afternoon sunlight, flashing in a way that had Lia covering her eyes and scowling._

" _You mind lowering that thing?" She asked. " It's trying to blind me."_

" _It's a Spirit Gate key!" Jaden plopped down next to her excitedly. " And Chancellor Sheppard gave it to me to guard._

" _Good for you." Lia turned her attention back to the book. " I still don't know what it is, but if __**you're**__ responsible for it, then it can't be all that important."_

_The school day had just let out, and Lia was catching up on some of her missed reading, thanking every god out there that she had no homework for the weekend. The fiasco at the ruins only two days before had drained her more than she'd liked to admit. The testament to the experience was still visible on her forehead. A bandage, smaller than the one she'd had to wear the instant she'd gotten back, was wrapped around her head, partially obscured by her bangs. She brushed her fingers over it as she made to get her hair out of her eyes, wincing as the gauze rubbed against the shallow cut on her forehead._

_She'd been sitting comfortably by the school's east entrance, under a large tree, book in hand and her mind focused on the story, when Jaden had come bounding up, his grin as big and bright as the sun above them. With barely a hello, he'd launched into a story about keys and cards and some other things that Lia had promptly ignored in favour of her book. It wasn't until Jaden had almost shoved the little gold…whatever it was…under her nose that she'd pulled herself back into the (very one-sided) conversation._

" _Hey!" Jaden said indignantly. " This is __**so**__ important."_

"_Of course it is." Lia deadpanned._

" _Chazz and Lex and Zane and Bastian and Professor Banner and Dr. Crowler all got on too!" Jaden insisted. " Sheppard said they were really important, and that we had to protect them."_

" _How, by hiding them under your shirts?"_

" _By making sure we don't loose in a duel."_

_Both of the first years looked up as Alexis approached them._

" _Hey Lex." Jaden waved. " Lia doesn't believe me when I say the Spirit Gate keys are important."_

" _It's true, Lia." Alexis addressed the brunette. " These keys are very powerful, and it's important that we keep them safe."_

_Lia sighed and slowly closed her book._

" _I know I'm gonna regret asking this," She muttered, " but why are they important, and what does dueling have to do with this?"_

_Both duelists looked at her._

" _It's been a long week, humour me."_

" _Well," Jaden rubbed his chin, " Sheppard said that these keys lead to the three Sacred Beasts, and that they can't fall into the wrong hands or else," he made air quotes and deepened his voice to am impression of the Chancellor, " 'Terrible things will happen!' And-"_

" _Okay, stop." Lia rubbed her temples. " Alexis, humour me. Jaden, keep your mouth shut."_

" _But-"_

" _It's okay, Jaden. I'll explain." Alexis took a deep breath. " You see, Lia, The Chancellor told us that this school was build in part to protect three very powerful cards called the Sacred Beasts. And that if these cards are ever stolen by the wrong people, it could spell disaster for all of us."_

" _They're a couple of cards!" Lia rolled her eyes. " What are they gonna do?"_

" _I don't actually know that…" Alexis paused to think. " But you know the damage the three Egyptian God Cards caused, right?"_

_Lia shrugged._

" _Well, apparently these three cards are just as dangerous. Maybe more so. After all, we don't have Yuugi Moto here to control them. So instead, they were sealed away under this school."_

" _Oh, __**that's**__ smart! Let's hide the dangerous cards under a school full of duelists! Yeah, that's not the most obvious place." Lia snapped, rolling her eyes._

" _Hey, it could be worse. They could be hidden under someone's mattress, instead of in a highly guarded crypt under the island." Jaden cut in. A look from both girls silenced him._

" _Hey, hiding in plain sight, right?" Alexis shrugged. " Anyway, there are these gates that have to be opened in order to get to these cards. There're called the Spirit Gates. And it takes all seven of the keys to open them. But the thing is, the keys can't simply be taken. They have to be __**won**__."_

" _In a duel." Lia groaned, dropping her head into her hands, and then yanking it back with a yelp as her forehead stung._

" _You okay?" Jaden asked._

" _Fine." She hissed through clenched teeth. " Stupid scrape." She gingerly touched her forehead. " So, let me get this straight. There are these super badass cards hidden under the school, guard by seven gate things. Each gate had a key."_

_Jaden and Alexis nodded._

" _Each key is now in the possession of someone at this school who duels."_

_A nod._

" _You know, in retrospect, maybe Sheppard shoulda given the keys to seven Academics." Jaden mused. " I mean, they can't duel so they can't lose. That way the Shadow Riders couldn't get their hands on the keys."_

_Lia blinked._

" _The __**what**__?"_

_Alexis answered._

" _The Shadow Riders. They're the people who want to use the Sacred Beasts to…well, I think they want to destroy the world or something."_

_Lia stared at her, unmoving, her eyes wide and her mouth agape._

" …"

" _Lia, are you okay?" Jaden asked after the girl's mouth had opened and closed several times._

" …_The __**Shadow Riders**__?"! She gasped finally. " __**That's**__ what they're calling themselves. The Shadow Riders?"_

" _Yeah." Alexis nodded._

" _Sheppard also called them 'The Wicked Ones'." Jaden rubbed his chin. Lia stared at him, as though he had spoken a different language. There was a beat of silence, that left both Duelists wondering if they had overloaded the Ra's brain, and then Lia fell on her side, laughing hysterically._

" _Oh…Oh mon __**Dieu**__!" She howled, grabbing her sides. "__Êtes vous me badinant?! Dites-moi que vous badinez__!" She rolled over again. " That is __**priceless**__!" She tried to sit up, still shaking with laughter. "I've heard better dialogue in the American __**Sailor Moon dub**__!" She leaned back against the tree, gasping. __" Oh, il blesse__." She rubbed her stomach. " __Mon estomac. Mon estomac pauvre__."_

" _Okay, I'll admit, I was trying pretty hard not to laugh during Sheppard's speech." Jaden grinned over at Alexis, who returned the gesture._

" _Yeah, he __**was**__ laying it on pretty thick."_

_The three stood up, Jaden hauling Lia to her feet with a well-placed tug. Folding his arms behind his back, he followed after the two girls, smiling._

" _So, what exactly is supposed to happen if these cards get nabbed?"_

" _Well…how did Sheppard put it, Lex?"_

" '_Buildings will crumble, light will fade, souls will fall. Our world will be no more'." Alexis sighed. " That's a direct quote."_

_Lia blinked at her._

" _So basically, you're telling me that the fate of the world is in Jaden's hands?"_

" _And the other six holders of the Spirit Gate keys."_

" _Of which Jaden is included?"_

" _Yeah, I guess so."_

_Lia turned to look at the boy on her right, who gave her a reassuring smile._

" _Dear Christ, we might as well just kill ourselves right now, and save these Shadow Riders the pleasure."_

" _Hey, I resent that!"_

**_**

Lia sat straight up in bed.

" Is Jaden okay?"

" He's fine." Alexis sighed, rubbing her eyes. It was then that Lia noticed how puffy and red those eyes were, and how hoarse Alexis sounded. As though she had been crying.

" He's out of it right now, but Ms. Fontaine says that with some rest, he'll be up and dueling again in no time."

" That's not all, is it?" Lia said seriously.

On the screen, Alexis shook her head.

" No, it isn't. It's kind of hard to explain, but the Rider he dueled…he's…he called himself Nightshroud…only that's not his real name."

" How do you now?" Lia pulled on a grey sweatshirt and slid her slippers over her feet.

" Because he was…he _is_…but not before, not while he was dueling…" Alexis threw her eyes around, trying to sort out her thoughts. " He… he _isn't_ Nightshroud…at least, not anymore."

" Alexis, you aren't making any sense." Lia ran a hand through her mussed hair. The blonde on the screen closed her eyes and shook her head.

" I can't explain it over the phone, you have to come down here and see it for yourself."

" Alright, I'm coming." Lia headed towards the door. "Do you want me to hang up?"

" No!" She almost shouted. " I mean…no, please stay on the line. I really need to talk to somebody…just talk. And Zane isn't…I mean, he's just as stunned as I am…he's happy about it too, I can tell…but we haven't…we haven't been on good terms lately…please don't hang up."

" I'm right here Lexi." Lia said softly as she snuck out the dorm. " I'll keep talking on the phone until I get there, okay?"

" Thanks." Alexis breathed in relief. " I thought I was gonna go crazy."

" Yeah, no problem. So what happened tonight?"

**_**

By the time she got to the nurse's office, Lia was well aware of the situation. Her already racked nerves (which has just begun to settle down after the episode at the ruins and the new information that the school was playing host to not only a trio of awesomely strong cards, but also the bastards who wanted to misuse those cards) were basically shot by the time Alexis finally let her off the line (which was only down the hall from her destination itself, so it was rather a moot point).

To her surprise, when she stopped to catch her breath (she'd walked faster than she ever could remember doing in her life), Lia found that the hand she'd used to hold the videophone (which as now resting in the pocket of her loose pajama pants.) was shaking badly. She stared at the trembling hand, her mind not quite comprehending that it was her own appendage she was staring at. Leaning her shoulder against the wall, Lia flexed the hand, watching it respond to her brain's commands. She twitched one of the fingers again, staring at it, trying to figure out how it was that the hand was doing exactly what she told it to.

" I guess…" She murmured to the empty hallway. " …I guess it's my hand." She turned it over, staring at the back of it like it was a foreign object.

And then suddenly, she slipped down the wall into a huddle, crying.

**_**

Every head in the nurse's office looked up as the door opened and Lia walked in, looking sleepy and pale, her eyes partially glazed and her hair mussed up from her slumber.

" Jaden…" She whispered, looking about.

" He's over here. " Bastian said, from where he sat by a bed. " But how did you know…"

" Lexi called." Lia quietly moved through the crowd, looking thin and translucent, almost like a ghost in her light grey sweatshirt and her pale blue pants. She stopped by the bed and looked over Bastian's head, taking in the sight of her sleeping friend.

Jaden looked peaceful. His face was serene and calm, and there was a soft smile pulling his lips up. There were a few smudges of dirt along his cheeks, but other than that he looked unharmed. His breathing appeared to be easy, and Lia let out a small sigh of relief.

" Lia." Alexis' voice jolted her out of her reverie. She turned to look at the blonde, who was half hidden by a screen, sitting beside another bed.

" That's Nightshroud." Bastian whispered in her ear. " She won't tell us why, but she _insists_ at being at his side at all times. It's terribly odd."

Lia floated through the crowd a second time, quietly pushing past a few of the drowsier lot, who didn't have the active brain capacity to know which way to shuffle. As she reached her, Alexis grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to the bed.

" You have to see this…you of all people deserve to…" Alexis was babbling, spewing out words and thoughts in a great jumble of sentences that Lia wasn't awake enough to try and understand. " I don't know how…I don't think I really _care_…he's _back_, and that's all I need…"

She led Lia over to where the figure of Nightshroud was resting peacefully on the pristine white sheets of the on campus hospital. A breath mask covered the lower half of his face, but other than that, Lia could make out a high set of cheekbones that match Alexis' own, a pair of attractively angled eyes that were hidden by closed lids, and a well groomed mop of dark brown hair.

Her heart stopped.

" _I'm sorry, I didn't know."_

" _No one does. I've…I haven't told anyone at this school."_

She walked forward, squinting at the boy's face.

"C'est impossible…" She murmured, blinking rapidly.

" _I know what it feels like to lose someone. I meant it when I said I had stories."_

" Oh, Alexis." She said, turning to the other girl. Alexis had lowered her head, her bangs falling in her face. Her eyes were hidden, and from what Lia could make out of the rest of her face, she was biting her lower lip in a way that was very familiar. Her shoulders shook. Behind her, Zane made as if to reach out and touch her shoulders, but Alexis had already flown forward into the unready arms of a stunned Lia. The younger girl stumbled back at the new weight, catching the bedpost of Nightshroud's bed to keep herself upright.

" It's _him_! "Alexis sobbed into Lia's shoulder. " I don't know how, but he's _back_! _He's back_!"

Ignoring the stunned looks of everyone in the room (and the one of hurt on Zane's face) Alexis turned shining eyes brimming with joyful tears at Lia's face.

" It's Atticus, Lia. It's my brother!"

* * *

Hello again everybody! Well, we've _finally_ gotten into the main plot point for Year One. Yes, after 33 chapters, we are just _now_ starting in on the plot. But hey, before you get mad at me, remember that I cut out a lot of episodes and compressed a lot of things that the anime had, so actually, this is much quicker than the anime. And different stuff happens. The different stuff is fun.

Jaden: Why do I get the feeling that you are going to use the Shadow Riders to fuck with us all big time?

Because you know me so well. Now, translations:

C'est la midi de la nuit - It's the middle of the night. (imagine Lia whining this.)

_Et…rêvant, je pense__._' .' _Mais au sujet de ce qui?_' - And...dreaming, I think. But about what?

" Il est trois le matin" - It's three in the morning.

" _Oh…Oh mon **Dieu**!" "Êtes vous me badinant?! Dites-moi que vous badinez!" " Oh, il blesse." " Mon estomac. Mon estomac pauvre." - _Oh...Oh my **God**! Are you kidding me?! Tell me you're joking! Oh, it hurts. My stomach. My poor stomach. That was about my reaction to the Sheppard's speech as well. Shadow Riders, honestly.

Lia not recognizing her own hand - Lia is and Academic. She prides herself on her smarts. Her smarts are shown through her homework and her tests, which are written using her hand. Not being able to recognize that (for her moreso than any other character) vital appendage shows just how scared and shocked she is. Notice also that she cries in the hallway, where no one can see her. She's not quite comfortable enough yet. Yes, she went to Alexis in her time of need, but she didn't cry in front of her. The only person she's cried in front of...is Jaden. And there is, again, a reason for that. Jaden and Lia's bond is one of the corner stones of this story. In fact, many of Lia's bonds are very important to the story. Lia's main character theme is 'isolation'. The others include 'pride', 'overcoming hardships', and my personal favourite is 'memories', or 'making memories'. Lia, you will see and may ahve already seen, is a person very rooted in her memories. Much of what has happened in the past still follows her today, and in later Years, she will draw on the memories made with Jaden and the others to better herself. There is a particular scene in Year Three, which I have all mapped out, where Lia shows just how much she's grown, and proves herself to be quite different from the Lia you all met in the first few chapters. Even the Lia now is different from the Lia of Chapter 2.

Lia's dream - has special meaning. It's not just an anxiety dream or a 'reliving bad memories' dream. There is a meaning to all the things Lia sees in it.

Lia and Alexis - As important as Jaden and Lia's bond is, I actually like Lia's friendship with Alexis more. With Jaden, there is certain baggage that goes along with their relationship that will slowly start to show itself. With alexis, Lia is simply Lia, a young, unsure girl still trying to figure out who she is. Alexis, as well, can just be a girl around Lia. In the anime, Alexis never really has a female peer with whom she can be herself. Jasmine and Mindy fade into obscurity around Season Two or so, and Alexis is surrounded by guys all the time. There are just certain times that a girl (and I am speaking as a girl) needs to be around other girls and talk with otehr girls. Around the guys, Alexis has been shown to put a tough front up, as if afraid that if she lets herslf be gentle, she won't be respected anymore. She feels the need to defend her place as 'one of the guys' by sometimes being rough and strong. Even with Jaden (her crush) or her brother, she never really lets her guard down, or her softer side out. Lia is a person Alexis can be a girl with, but she also arouses Alexis' protective instincts. Remember, Lia is a year younger than Jaden and Syrus and Bastian, and two years younger than Alexis. She's nervous and scared and doesn't quite understand everything that's going on around and inside of her. I remember 14 being a scary time, because I moved to a new town and I had one year to prepare myself for highschool. It was daunting. But I also remember going back to my old school for their graduation, and having people look at me like they didn't know me because I had gone from a shy little girl to an out-spoken teenager. By sixteen (Alexis' age) I was confident enough with who I was to be able to be myself no matter what. Alexis wants to help Lia through her difficult time, and I know that if I'd had a nice, sisterly upperclassman for a friend to help me along, I might not have been so scared. So, yes, while Lia and Jaden have a plot point revolving all around them, it's Alexis and Lia that I prefer to write.

I think that's about it

Jaden: What plot point are you talking about?

Where's your boyfriend?

Jaden: Off to get more Dragon Treats so we can get Syrus back.

...you acknowledged taht he's your boyfriend. (Spiritshipper mode: Activated!)

Jaden: (shrugs) Well yeah, I mean, he's a boy, and he's my friend. Boy friend, right?

...(deflates) Sometimes I hate you.

Jaden: (blinks in confusion) Why?

Ne...nevermind.

MoS


	34. The Truth

Warnings: Lia developement, Jaden being Jaden, and Camulla's triumphant debute!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

_

* * *

_

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" _My father died when I was eight years old."_

_Alexis' attention was stolen away from the open statement (the most open she'd ever heard from the girl before her) to the blood slowly seeping from the injured lip._

" _Stop biting it!" She snapped in her most motherly voice. Lia immediately let her lip go, wincing as more red spilled out. _

" _Sorry." She whispered. " It's an old habit."_

" _You should get rid of it." Alexis said as she briskly walked across the room and into the adjacent bathroom. She came out holding a soaked cotton ball._

" _This will sting." She warned as she approached the girl._

" _It always does." Lia winced violently. " Doesn't make it any easier though."_

_Alexis said nothing, dabbing at the small wound on her lip._

" _Well, say something!" Lia snapped. Alexis grabbed her chin and held it in place, tilting her head up so she could get a better look at the still bleeding cut._

" _Stop moving so much."_

" _About what I said, smartass!" Alexis stopped her dabbing for a second, and sighed. But she didn't release Lia's chin._

" _I'm sorry, I didn't know." _

_Lia snorted._

" _No one does." She looked away from Alexis' stern eyes. " I've…I haven't told anyone at this school."_

" _And why not?" Alexis went back to dabbing the cut. When she decided it was clean enough (and it had stopped bleeding), she let the younger girl go, walked over to the trashcan and dropped the soiled cotton ball in it. Lia rubbed the tender spot, eyebrows pointed down._

" _Why haven't __**you**__ told anyone who Atticus is?"_

_Her shoulders slumping, Alexis let herself sink down onto the king sized bed._

" _Touché." She muttered. Lia crossed the distance between them, sitting carefully next to the other girl. When Alexis didn't look up as she sat down, Lia reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't look up for that either._

" _That isn't an answer you know."_

" _I know." Alexis' voice was small. " But I'm trying really hard to avoid talking about it."_

" _Ignoring it won't make it go away." Lia squeezed the shoulder cautiously, as though she were unsure if it was the right thing to do. " And sometimes talking helps."_

" _How did you dad die?" Alexis asked without looking away from the floor. So she felt, rather than saw, Lia stiffen._

" _Does it matter?" She asked. " He's dead. Knowing how he died won't change anything."_

" _What happened to 'sometimes talking helps'?" Alexis laughed in her throat, but it was humourless._

" _So I'm a hypocrite." Lia shrugged. " Big deal."_

" _Yeah, I can see that part of your personality shining through."_

_It wasn't very funny. It wasn't even a joke. But it made Lia start giggling as she sat on the bed. Maybe it was stress of her classes, or maybe it was the fact that Bastian seemed so set on leaving her behind for Obelisk Blue, or maybe it was that she hadn't really thought about her father in years. Whatever it was, it had her snickering, holding her stomach and her shoulders shaking. Beside her, Alexis dissolved into a fit of laughter as well, falling back on the bed and rolling from side to side, gasping for breath in between spasms of laughing._

_Lia fell down beside her, staring up at the ceiling, her face flushing and her lips stinging fiercely._

" _I think my lip is bleeding again." She managed to get out._

" _Yeah, probably." Alexis huffed. " I…I don't know what's so funny."_

" _Nothing really."_

" _So why are we laughing then?"_

" _Would you rather be crying?"_

" _No. You?"_

" _I just spent the last little while crying. I've completed my tear quota for the year."_

" _Yeah?"_

" _Yeah."_

_Their laughter died down to giggles, which became snickers, which eventually became nothing but heavy breathing. The two girls lay next to each other, staring up at the ceiling, their chests heaving as they gasped in breath. Behind them, their hair entangled, and Alexis almost jumped out of her skin when Lia's fingers brushed against her own accidentally._

" _Sorry." Lia whispered. She didn't know why she felt the need to, but talking any louder seemed…sacrilegious._

" _Atticus was my brother." Alexis said abruptly, staring determinedly at the ceiling. Lia looked over at her._

" _Really?"_

" _He's a little over a year and a half older than me. He was just over 18 months when I was born."_

" _Mmh." Lia hummed._

" _He could always make me laugh. He always made a joke, and it made me feel better, even if it was only because I was decking him for being an idiot."_

" _He sounds nice." _

" _He was." A pause. " I think…I think he would have driven you crazy, but you would have liked him."_

" _Would I?"_

" _Yeah. He'd bug the Hell outta you, but you would've liked him."_

**_**

Lia sighed as she sat next to Alexis after school.

" He looks good." She offered.

" I know."

" His breathing is fine."

" I know."

" He's just sleeping, Lexi. That's all."

" I know."

Lia gave a sigh. With a huff, she grabbed one of the chairs scattered around the bed and pulled it up by the bed where Atticus lay. As soon as she had the chair in place, she reached down and grabbed an unresponsive Alexis by the arm and tried to pull her up. But seeing as how Lia was about a head and a half shorter than Alexis and rather scrawny, she only half succeeded. Alexis came halfway out of the chair, standing suspended in mid air, slowly turning her eyes from her comatose brother to Lia's stern ones.

" Sitting here all day and night isn't going to help him." Lia snapped, shaking the arm she had in her grip. " Go and take a shower. Lie down for a while." She looked away, pale pink on her cheeks. " I'll make sure your brother doesn't go anywhere."

" Lia…" Alexis began.

" Just go." Lia pushed her towards the door. " Atticus will be here when you get back, I promise."

Alexis turned around at the door, smiling softly, albeit sadly.

" Thanks Lia."

" Get going, chérie." Lia pushed her out the door. As soon as it shut, she walked back to the bed that held the lost boy, rolling her stiff shoulders. With a yawn, she stretched her arms out wide, sinking into the seat she'd placed by the bedside. She cracked one eyes open, then the other, and stared at the sleeping boy.

" It's a good thing you're good looking, chéri." She said to the unconscious body. " Or else I doubt anyone would think you were worth all this trouble."

" So, that's Alexis' brother, huh?"

Lia jumped up, biting back a scream, and grabbing the closest thing (which happened to be a vase with some yellow roses in it) off the nightstand and made to hurl it at the source of the noise.

" Whoa! Whoa! Chill Lia!" Jaden held his hands up in surrender. " It's me!"

" Jaden?" She asked, but it came out sounding more like 'Shay-don', and she winced.

" Yeah." He nodded quickly. Lia lowered the vase back onto its resting spot, putting a hand over her racing heart.

" You nearly gave me a 'eart attack." She glared at him. " Doo nut _doo_ t'ings like zat!"

She immediately slapped her hand over her mouth as she realized how thick her accent had come out. To delay the embarrassment, she walked over to Jaden's bed, leaning over him as she eyed him up and down.

" So you're awake, are you?"

He grinned slyly at her.

" You think Alexis' brother is good looking?"

Face burning, Lia stared at him in shock, opening and closing her mouth several times as she tried to think of a comeback.

" Oh, like you don't?" She snapped, and mentally flinched. It had sounded just as bad out loud as it had in her head.

" Well, I don't know if he's good looking, I've never seen him." Jaden fixed the girl with a hopeful look. " Help me over there, would you?"

" Shouldn't you stay in bed?"

" It's just across the room!" He whined. He widened his eyes until they glistened in the light. " _Pleeeeease_?"

" Oh fine!" Lia grabbed his elbow and hauled him out from under the covers, despite his protests that she was being too rough. " But only because I know you'll never shut up about it if I don't. You're like a spoiled little kid, you know that?"

" You love me anyway."

" I'm not particularly fond of you right now."

" You're still _blu-shing_."

" Allez aux diable!"

" To you too, Koneko-chan."

" God, I hate you so much." A pause. " There, sit down, you're heavy."

" I am not!"

" Yes, you are."

" Are you calling me fat?"

" Yes, I am."

" Bitch." He muttered, and was rewarded, to his surprise, by a trickle of laughter escaping Lia's mouth.

" It's taken you this long to figure out, chéri?"

" Oh shut up, Wicked Bitch of Ra Yellow." Jaden settled himself down into the chair.

" And proud of it." Lia leaned over his shoulder, looking at Atticus. " See? He is sorta good looking. Lexi says he's a goofball though."

" She told you?"

" I asked."

" So?" Jaden looked at her. " The rest of us have asked on and off over the year. She's never said anything about him to us."

" Well…" Lia looked away uncomfortably.

" Is this a girl thing?"

" No, no that's not it." Lia shook her head.

" Then what?"

" She shared something with me because I shared something with her."

" Well, what did you share?"

"Jaden!" Lia exasperatedly threw her head back and rubbed the bridge of her nose. " Can we not do this now?"

" When would be a better time?" The boy looked at her.

" How about when the world isn't in mortal peril from a bunch of freaks after some bloody cards, of whom include Alexis' long-lost older brother?!"

If Jaden had a reply, it was cut off by Chumley coming bursting into the hospital, panting and gasping for breath.

" Crowler…Shadow Rider…vampire…red carpet."

He sank to the ground.

" Whoa, easy there Chum." Jaden shuffled over to his friend. " What's going on? Start from the beginning."

" There's been rumours about a girl vampire going around campus! She's got big fangs, and long hair, and…well, she's supposed to be totally hot!" The large boy paused, his cheeks lighting up. " And from what I could see of her, she _was_!"

" Sounds like you've seen one too many episodes of _Hellsing_." Jaden helped the boy up. " I mean, c'mon Chum. Vampires?"

" After everything that's happened so far at this school, is a vampire really so crazy?" Chumley asked defensively.

" I guess not…" Jaden mused.

" Beside, that description really doesn't sound like Rip Van Winkle." Lia cut in walking over. " She had no figure."

" You like _Hellsing_?" Jaden blinked.

Lia blinked and looked away.

" Alucard is as close to god as anyone of us are going to get, and don't you dare deny it."

" What about Jan?"

" Please, Jan is _above_ the status of deity."

" Oh, I know!"

" Guys!" Chumley interrupted. " Crowler's about to duel this vampire lady down by the lake! We gotta go!" He started towards the door.

" You're going to cheer Crowler on?" Lia asked as she watched Jaden hurtle off after his large friend. " In your condition?"

" I know Crowler hasn't always been our best friend," Jaden pulled his shoes on, " but he's still my teacher, you know?"

" No, I don't." Lia sighed, breathing out of her nose. " But then, I guess there's a lot about you that I don't understand. Get going you idiot."

" Aren't you coming?"

" No. I have to stay here and keep and eye on Atticus." She jabbed a thumb at the sleeping boy. " Tell Crowler that I said he'd better not screw up too badly. Actually, do you mind passing that on to Chazz as well?"

Jaden gave her a smirk.

" Sure thing, Koneko-chan." And he vanished out the door. A second later, his head popped back in.

" Oh, and you were right. Alexis' brother _is_ pretty good looking."

Lia was too stunned to even think of a comeback.

**_**

Camulla gave a chilling laugh, vanishing into the thick mist that had gathered at the lake's edge.

" Children, if you vish to avenge that pathetic wretch, you need only to come and find me." Her accented voice echoed over the empty space.

" Rest assured!" Bastian called to the vacant air. " That's exactly what we intend to do!"

" I vill eagerly be avaiting you then, my darlings."

A shadowy hand slowly dragged itself across Zane's torso, finger his chin. He jumped back, eyes wide, disturbed by the presence he couldn't see.

" I will be avaiting you _most_ eagerly," A husky voice purred in his ears. Snarling, he swatted at the air with his duel disk. A low laughter filled his ear.

" My _darling_ Zane."

" Get the Hell away from me!" He snapped, activating his disk in some last ditch effort to push the vampire's hands away from him.

" Big brother." Syrus' voice cut through. " That's enough." The small boy reached forward and pressed his hand against the glowing duel disk, lowering it to Zane's side, where it deactivated. In the still night air, Zane swore he heard a hissed curse, in a language he could not understand.

" She's gone now." Syrus patted his panting brother's shoulder.

" No Sy." Syrus jumped at the informal address, stunned by the intimacy that was created from the sound of his nickname from Zane's mouth. " She's still here."

He looked out at the murky water, where the both the castle and its mistress had vanished into the heavy white mist that lurked over the surfacing.

" She's just waiting for the right moment to strike."

* * *

Hey everyone, sorry for the late post. I got caught up finishing _Revolutionary Girl Utena_. That anime...is so _deep_. I can't even _begin_ to understand half the metaphors in there.

Chazz: That doesn't surprise me.

Alexis: (smacks him upside the head) Shut it, Princeton!

Chazz: (rubbing sore head) Why are you taking her side, Lex?! This is the freak that created _Lia_!

Oh, I'm a freak, am I?

Chazz: Hell yeah! Have you taken a good look in the mirror late-

(P.O. God-mode activated) COWER BEFORE ME, INFIDEL!

Chazz: (cowering in a corner)

Alexis: (shaking head) I tried to warn him.

Actually, you just bopped him one good. Not that I'm complaining. Chazz in pain is always an amusing sight.

Alexis: You're so cruel, Miss MoS.

That I am, that I am. (turns to audience) Alexis was so kind as to join me today, because my uual companions are...indisposed of right now.

Alexis: Jaden wandered off looking for Jesse, huh?

How someone can get lost on the way to the store is beyond me. And it's not like Jaden will be much help...

Alexis: So why let him go then?

Because, well...when he gets that look in his eyes...the one reserved for when...his most important someone needs him...ooooh! (shoujou background appears) I could just eat three bowls of rice! (cookies to whomever can get that reference)

Alexis: (twitching) You're kinda...weird, Miss MoS.

You'll understand when you're older.

Alexis: You're only 18!

Yes, but what a difference a year (and the Internet) makes.

Alexis: Wait, what?

How about some translation?

Allez aux diable - I pretty sure this is 'Go to hell'.

Lia's French accent - and THAT's what it'll look like when she has an accent.

Alexis' brother _is_ pretty good looking - because I couldn't resist.

Hellsing - _C'mon_! That whole episode was just _begging_ for an Alucard reference! You can't tell me you wouldn't have done the same!

Lia and Alexis - See? See how cute they are?

Well, I think that's about it. We're are fast approaching my favourite chapter so far. I worked really hard on it, so I hope you all join me next week, for my last post from the comfort of my own home. After Labour Day, I'll be posting from a residence room at my university. So, to honour that, I'll be giving you a double helping. Please, everybody come out for my 'Off to University Special', and wish me luck with my first week at University!

See yo next week, everybody!

MoS

Alexis: What was the point of my being here?

It gives the audience something to look at while I ramble on about stuff they don't care about.

Alexis: So I'm eye candy then?

I'll give you a kickass scene later on in the story if you drop it right now.

Alexis: How kickass?

(whispers in ear)

Alexis: (grinning ear to ear) Consider the subject dropped.


	35. The Breaking

Warnings: A bit of Zane and Syrus dynamic and a bit of an obscure reference if you haven't watched the show it referes to. Cookies if you get it.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

**Dedication:** These two chapters are dedicated to the friends I made at high school, who helped to shape me into the young woman I am today. I would like to thank them for putting up with my temper, my prudishness, and my sarcasm, and still like me enough to partner up for projects and invite me to birthday parties. These chapters, which deal with hard choices, frightening change, and courage, are dedicated to the friends I love and am leaving to go off to university. Even if we all lose touch, I want you guys to know that I have never had such great friends, and I owe who I am to you all, and I love each and every one of you. This one's for The Girls at the Lunch Table!

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" So, Crowler's a doll then?"

" Yes, Crowler is a doll."

" And he got this way because of a vampire?"

" Yes, yes he did."

" And this vampire is some sadistic chick who's got a thing for Zane."

" That's what I got from her, yeah."

" And said sadistic vampire with the Zane complex is one of those Shadow- snicker- Riders you're all so hyped up about?"

" Yup."

" And in beating Crowler, she got one of those key thingies you guys have to protect?"

" That is the gist of it."

" Anymore questions, or have we reached the maximum number?"

" Well, I have one more." Lia fell back on Jaden's bed, clutching a pillow. " Why did I agree to go to this school?"

From beside her, Jaden reached over and patted her arm.

" Hey, look at it this way. _You're_ not in any danger. It's just us that have to go out and risk our souls in order to keep the world in one piece."

" Oh, _great_!" She gripped the pillow harder. " So instead of being in any kind of danger myself, I just get to sit at a hospital bed every chance I get, wondering if my friends are going to come back from a duel or not _alive_! Yeah, that makes me feel _so_ much better!"

" Quit complaining." Chazz said from where he leaning against the wall. With his arms crossed and his eyes closed, he might have passed for being lost in thought. But the decided scowl on his face (his almost constantly present expression) said otherwise.

" This doesn't have anything to do with you so just butt out, got it?" He pushed off the wall. " The last thing I need is your bitching to distract me-"

He got not further though, as a pillow smacked him dead in the face. Lia lowered her arm, looking away from where Chazz had fallen over, propelled by the velocity of the object.

" Shut it, Chazz. Nobody cares about what you think."

" 'oo 'uffin' mitd!" Came Chazz muffled reply. With a sigh, Bastian leaned down and plucked the pillow from his face.

" –cky I don't slap you across the face!" Chazz finished, huffing.

" You try it and I'll smack _your_ face right off." Alexis threatened from where she sat next to her brother.

The gathered group was a rather depressed one. On Jaden's bed was the still hospitalized boy, tucked snugly under the covers (on orders from Ms. Fontaine, who had been forced to whip out her actual Ph.D. in medicine before Jaden had willingly complied to her request), his nose peeking out as he surveyed the room. Next to him, placing the portable DVD player (one Jasmine had offered for use since it was obvious that Jaden wasn't going anywhere) back on her lap, was Lia. Her arms were full of the one of the pillows she'd stolen from Jaden. The DVD that had been playing was on pause, frozen on an image of a very tall figure all in shadow, save for a glowing necklace, glasses, and a maniacal grin that filled their whole face.

Alexis was sitting in the chair next to her still comatose brother, somewhat cleaner and more refreshed than she had been. Near her, in the space between the two beds, Chumley stood, looking from Lia to Chazz, as if torn between telling Lia to stop and laughing at Chazz's predicament. Just to his left, at the end of Jaden's bed, was Syrus, who hadn't noticed the goings on because he was too busy staring at his brother, who was located the farthest away from all of them. Zane was standing by the door, staring out of it to look at the rain-splattered windows, his dark eyes narrowed dangerously. (Syrus had noted the strained feeling that had flooded the room when Alexis and Zane had accidentally made eye contact over Atticus' still form. He'd also noticed the way Lia was trying to effect that she didn't even realize Zane was there, while his brother was doing a much better job of not acknowledging the girl's presence. Syrus was pretty sure this had more to do with Zane's mind being occupied rather than him actually going out of his way to scorn Lia).

And leaning against the wall by Jaden's headboard (at least, he had been before he'd been nailed in the face with a pillow) was Chazz, who was currently rubbing the back of his skull, which had hit the floor first. His hair was slightly messed up and he was glaring up at Lia, who was pointedly ignoring him and talking to Jaden. Standing above him, Bastian rolled his eyes at the childishness of his friends, and wondered why it was that he continued to hang out with them.

" Why do you always take her side?" Chazz demanded as he climbed to his feet.

" I like her better than you."

" Aw, I like Chazz and Lia the same." Jaden chimed in. Around him, his friends sweat dropped.

" Yes Jaden." Bastian said indulgently. " But you are a very friendly individual. Is there anyone you don't like?"

Jaden's face darkened.

" Yeah, Camulla."

The mood of the room sobered immediately.

" Yes, I can see why you wouldn't be fond of her." Bastian said.

" No one in this room is very fond of her at the moment, that's a safe bet." Alexis piped up from her vigil.

" After what she did to Crowler…" Chumley trailed off, looking at the doll in Chazz grasp.

" I'll find her." Jaden fisted his hands in the covers. " I'll find her and when I do, I'll duel her!"

" Like Hell you will." Chazz scoffed, and yanked the covers up over Jaden's head. " You're not going anywhere. You can't even beat a _sheet_!"

" Hey!" Jaden pushed against the fabric. " Hey, c'mon, no fair! Just gimme a minute!"

" I'll be the one dueling the vampire chick!"

" See!" Jaden pulled the white sheet over his head. "I won!"

" Don't you know everything is best two outta three?" Chazz asked as he put them back over and shoved Jaden down. From beside him, Lia eyed the wriggling mass in white.

" When I get outta here, you and I are going to have _strong words_ Chazz!"

" I'm trembling." Chazz deadpanned. He turned to address the company at large. " Look, with Jaden down for the count –"I almost got this-Ow! I just punched myself!"- one of us is gonna have to pick up the slack."

" And you think it should be you?" Bastian raised an eyebrow. " Since when did you care about what happened to Jaden?"

" I don't!" Chazz insisted. " But if anyone's gonna beat that Slacker, it'll be _me_, not some fucked up blood sucker, got that!"

" Oh, be still my beating heart! What a warm and lovely declaration of friendship!" Lia quipped, but was, for the most part, ignored.

" Be that as it may, Chazz, I'm not sure you're the man for the job."

" _Heeeeeere_ we go." Jaden muttered from under the covers. " You might wanna back away from them, Lia."

" No way, this is almost as good as the movie."

In the midst of Chazz and Bastian's spat, no one noticed Syrus sneak out after his brother, who had left when Chazz had shoved Jaden onto the bed.

**_**

" You're not going!"

" Let go of me Sy."

" _No_! You're not going anywhere!"

" Sy, this isn't going to work."

" It worked when I was eight, it can work now!"

" It only worked then because you tackled me. Now let go."

" No way! You're going to go duel Camulla, aren't you?"

" Sy-"

" Well I'm not gonna let you!"

" Syrus, this is getting ridiculous."

" Don't care!"

" Syrus. Off."

" No!"

" Now."

" I'm not letting you lose your soul! No brother of mine is gonna be a doll!"

" I'm not going to lose my soul. I'll beat her, and we can put this all behind us."

" What if you lose, huh?! How do I explain _that_ to Mom and Dad?! 'Oh sorry Mom. Zane just decided to be an idiot and go off and duel a vampire so he could win back Dr. Crowler's soul and lost his own in the process and got turned into a doll. Oh yeah, and the creepy vampire lady kept the doll because she has a twisted kind of crush on him. And that's why Zane won't be joining us for Christmas dinner!' Oh yeah Zane, that'll go over fantastically!"

" Syrus, you're panicking."

" I think I have every right to!"

" Syrus."

" _What_?!"

" …Get off my leg."

From his position wrapped around Zane's left leg, Syrus dug his heels into the ground.

" No!" He insisted, tightening his grip.

Now, Zane loved his brother (no matter what Syrus' friends seemed to believe and really, Zane couldn't blame them), he really did, but there were times when Syrus just plain got on his nerves. It wasn't very often, because Syrus tended to be silent and obedient around his brother, but there were times when his natural, inborn stubbornness shone through, and in those moments, Zane seriously contemplated banging his head against the wall.

" Seriously. Syrus." He shook his leg a little. " Get off, you're embarrassing yourself."

" Trust me when I say this Zane," his brother hiked himself up on his leg, " I've got nothing to lose."

" What about your pride?" Zane asked, shaking his leg a little harder, trying to dislodge his very persistent little brother.

" Haven't got any."

" Your dignity?"

" Don't need it.

" You integrity?"

" What's that?"

" Your image?"

" Everyone thinks I'm a freak already!"

" Your reputation?" Zane tried desperately.

" I have a rep?" Syrus blinked up at him.

" Would you just let go?" Zane rolled his eyes in exasperation.

" What part of 'no' do you find so difficult to understand?"

" The part where you refuse to let go of my leg!" Zane snapped at him, expecting Syrus to shrink away at his harsh tone. Syrus did no such thing. The boy (in a way he had _never _reacted in his life) glared right back into Zane's eyes. Furrowing his brow, the younger boy climbed up until he was level with Zane's knee, face still etched with irritation.

" If I let go, you'll go running off to fight Camulla. And I know you're a great duelist, Zane, I know that!" The praise warmed him, though he didn't let it show. " But this isn't like any duel you've ever been in! This has different rules, different stakes, different _everything_!" Syrus shook his head, trying to hide the first gatherings of tears in his eyes. " You could lose your soul Zane! For _real_!"

" Syrus." Zane rolled his eyes and leaned down to where his brother was gripping his leg. Though his face was still set in a mask of irritation and annoyance, inside his heart was swelling. Despite everything, despite all things he'd done to isolate the little boy, Syrus still cared about him. " I'm not going to lose, I promise."

" You can't promise that Zane!" Syrus wailed. " You never know what might happen!"

Zane opened his mouth to protest, to assure his brother that whatever Camulla threw at him, he'd be more than ready for it. He was about to make his brother see reason, when Syrus cut him off, crying openly.

" I know we've never exactly gotten along, but that doesn't mean I want you to lose your _soul_!" Syrus cried, pressing his face into the warm chest offered before him. " You're my brother Zane! No matter what happens, you're my brother, and…and…"

His heart stood still in the chest his brother was pressed against.

" …and…I love you Zane."

Zane swore that, for a second, he stopped breathing.

Neither of them had ever said things like that to one anther. It was something of an unspoken code between the two. Neither one would ever say words of love towards the other. Syrus had done it once, a very long time ago, when he was just little. And it had almost undone Zane then, just as it was undoing him now. Here was his little brother (his _baby_ brother), whom his world had expanded greatly for when he was just three, and his mother had presented him with a tiny bundle of cloth from the hospital bed and told him it was his new brother. And Zane had looked into the bundle, curious as to what his mother meant. Then a tiny hand had reached out from the swaddling cloth and curled around his finger.

And a warmth had spread through him, unlike any he had ever experienced.

And he's promised the tiny creature in his arms that he would look after him and protect him no matter what.

It wasn't until Syrus had said those soft words in his tiny voice that Zane had fully understood:

Syrus wasn't ready for the world. It was a harsh, cruel place, and Syrus (sweet, gentle little Syrus, who'd reached a trusting hand out as an infant to his big brother) would be ripped apart by the viciousness of it all. And Zane had made a promise. He would protect his little brother no matter what, but what happened when he couldn't protect him? What would happen if Syrus was unable to defend himself from all the torments he was sure to encounter?

So the only logical answer, it seemed to him, was to try and toughen Syrus up. Just enough so that he could make it in the world Zane knew. (_His_ world. Zane thought about that now. Was _his_ world a different place from _the_ world, where Syrus seemed to be prospering?)

So he'd rebuked Syrus' shy confession, thrown his brotherly love back in his face. He could remember spitting out that he didn't need the love of weak, pathetic losers like his kid brother. He could remember Syrus' big eyes going wide with horror before filling with tears, and then Syrus was running down the hallway, sobbing loudly. And then there was a bang of the door, and silence, except for the sound of his heart shattering into a million pieces. Syrus had missed dinner that night. Zane had sat, picking at his food, until he finally stopped trying to swallow it down (a lump in his throat stopped it), and had left the table.

He'd obeyed his mother's wish to bring Syrus his dinner that night, somehow trying to tell himself that it would soothe the burn that had started up in his chest when he'd seen his brother's anguished eyes, and had been burning ever since. He could remember opening door, calling softly to his brother. He could also remember finding Syrus collapsed on the bed, sound asleep, with dried tear tracks down his cheeks.

' _It's the right thing to do_.' Zane remembered whispering to himself as he set the plate of food down in the desk. ' _It's the right thing to do. You haven't done anything wrong, Zane. You __**haven't**__. It's all for Syrus. It's the right thing to do_.'

He'd repeated it all the way back to his room and all through the night (because he hadn't slept that night. Or many nights after it. It took awhile to be able to live with himself comfortably enough to sleep).

He'd repeated it the next day when Syrus had cautiously approached him again, trying to repair their already frayed bond.

He'd repeated it as he'd told the boy to go away, that he didn't have time for weaklings.

He'd repeated it for the next five years as he steadily broke Syrus' heart over and over again until it was so battered beyond repair that Zane wondered if it would ever heal and be able to love him again.

And then, just like that, with three words, Syrus had brought then back to the beginning (full circle, second chance, rebirth; the words danced around in his head in spirals until he was dizzy), and Zane tried to grasp at what was happening.

Syrus was looking up at him fearfully, but there was a hint of determination in his eyes that Zane hadn't known existed. (Just how much better _did_ Jaden know his brother? Just how much of him had Jaden managed to fix?) He took a deep breath and tried to calm his erratic heartbeat. He reached down to remove Syrus (whose grip hadn't slackened in the least) from his leg, but found that his hands were shaking. He clenched them into fists.

" Syrus." He said. Oh, the possibilities. All the things he could say in response to those words. All the things he could make right. All the moments he could have with his brother. Wasn't Syrus strong enough now? Wasn't Syrus making it in the world Zane was so sure he would fail in? Wasn't it time he stopped trying to save his brother (wasn't it time he stopped breaking his brother's heart? Wasn't it time he acknowledge what Syrus had become? Wasn't it time he stopped trying to shatter all the progress?)?

Despite all the responses he could give, Zane knew, in is heart, there was only one that would suffice.

" Syrus, you can't come with me." He tugged the boy off his leg.

" If you're going, I'm going!" Syrus balled his fists and stood his ground. " And that's that, Zane!"

" Syrus." Zane's eyes went cold. " You'll only get in the way."

Syrus stopped, his face shifting from determined to frightened.

" Wh-what?"

" You heard me." Zane stood up. " A weakling like you will only get in my way."

He started walking off. Syrus stared after him, spellbound in his horror.

" But…But big brother…"

" And don't go saying stupid things like that." Zane snapped, facing away from Syrus. His hands clenched into fists. He fought to keep his voice even. " I don't want to hear you saying things like that to me."

' _It's for the best. __It's the right thing to do_.'

" I don't need that sort of thing…from someone like you. You already embarrass me enough as it is."

There was stunned silence behind him. Zane didn't dare turn around, didn't dare to see his brother's tears. He knew that if he did, if he so much as glanced at Syrus now, every last bit of strength would leave him, and he'd beg for his brother's forgiveness. He'd tell Syrus how he didn't mean it, how he loved his little brother just as much, how all he wanted to do (all he had _ever_ wanted to do; had he failed? He couldn't help but wonder. After all, he had never protected Syrus from _himself_) was protect the boy.

" Fine." A calm, cold voice said into the still night. Zane half turned around, looking at his little brother. Syrus was standing, his hands clenched in fists at his side and his bangs hiding his eyes.

" If you want to be like that, then fine." Syrus said, his voicing trembling. " I'm not doing it anymore Zane. I've put up with this _crap_-" he spat the word –" for years now, but I'm done with this. You wanna be a bastard, you wanna be the asshole that breaks my heart, that's fine Zane, but I'm telling you this much:"

His head snapped up and though his eyes were full of tears, there was also fury shining out of them, and Zane's chest constricted painfully.

" I'll be the one to end this. Don't talk to me. Not in the halls, not at home, not ever. I don't want it. I don't want to have to listen to you tearing me down every step of the way when I know for a fact that I'm worth a helluva lot more than you seem to think! I don't want to have to listen to you tell me how useless I am when I know I'm a good duelist, an awesome friend, and a damn better brother than you'll ever be!"

The tears had spilled over by now, but Syrus ignored them, glaring at Zane from the entrance of the school.

" I've had enough! We're over. Go and lose your soul to Camulla for all I care! Do me a favour for once in your life Zane, and don't come back out of that castle, win or lose! I never want to see you again! I _hate_ you Zane, I _fucking hate_ you!"

And with that echoing around them, Syrus turned about face and ran back into the school, sobbing as loudly as he had that day so many years ago.

And Zane was left standing at the threshold, the wind whistling around him and his eyes staring after the brother who he had finally pushed too far. He watched as Syrus ran back into the safety of the school, and slowly started to walk off towards the lake where he knew Camulla would be waiting, his footsteps heaving.

' _It's the right thing to do._'

And this time, he couldn't quite keep the lie from churning his gut painfully.

* * *

I would first off, like to thank everyone who waited so patiently while the site screwed me over while I was trying to upload. Here are the chapters I promised you, a little later than promised, but here nonetheless, and I still uploaded them from the comfort of my own home.

Well, here is the first installment of what I like to call 'The Torture Zane Arch'. And this arch will last about nine or ten chapters. I jsut finished resolving it, and it was so painful and awesome to write.

I would also like to thank everyone who's been with me since Christmas last year. This Christmas, I intend to release Year Two, so look for it. But for now, let's get on with Year One.

Some translations:

The paused movie- cookies for naming this reference.

Jaden under the sheets - this was such a cute scene in the dub, I had to keep it. Plus it's a great chance to show a nicer (secretly) Chazz.

Syrus and Zane- This was great to write. This was getting into Zane's head and building up his character to the point where I can to with him what plan to do with him. He is a really fun character to play with, because he comes off all cruel and arrogant, but under all that, he's insecure and wants to set a good example for Syrus (going about it in entirely the wrong way, of course). He's complex and he's hard to understand, but I love writing him.

Syrus snapping - Syrus has finally hit his breaking point. At this point, unlike in the original, Syrus has much more confidence, because in the anime (sub at least), he was always portrayed as defering to his brother. Syrus respected Zane. In this universe, Syrus fears his brother, but respects him. But the respect has been steadily dropping along with the fear as Syrus has realized that what Zane is calling him and saying about him is _wrong_. Syrus has enough confidence in himself at this point to be able to sever ties from Zane, and ironically, it is _Zane_ who is the most effected by Syrus' growth.

Stay tuned for Chapter 36- The Hero.

MoS


	36. The Brother

Warnings: My biggest, and, in my humble opinon, BEST deviation from the original story. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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* * *

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**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" Darling!" Camulla almost purred in delight. " I vas afraid you veren't going to come!"

Zane said nothing from where he stood, at the edge of the lake. Across from him, floating on the red carpet that was suspended on the murky water, stood the vampire. In a blood red dress that was draped attractively over her form and a sultry smile (to match her scorching eyes), Zane was surprised by his own lack of response. While he might have prided himself on his icy exterior, he was still very much a red-blooded male (the flush of heat that had surged up upon his introduction to Alexis was proof enough). And Camulla seemed more than ready to fulfill the stereotype of draculinas portrayed in movies.

" But, I should have known you vouldn't leave me out here to vait all night." Zane blinked, and suddenly the pale skinned woman was before him. She reached out a hand to brush the bangs out of his eyes, but Zane whipped his hand up, his duel disk clicking into place.

" Since I didn't keep you waiting, maybe you shouldn't keep _me_ waiting." He said lowly, just the barest hint of a threat in his voice.

" Vhy, darling." Camulla's eyes lit, and she leaned close, tracing his cheekbone with a clawed finger. " Vhatever are you waiting for?"

" A duel." Zane growled.

" That's all?" Her voice had dropped lower, until it sounded husky with a promise. What she was promising, Zane wasn't exactly sure. But it made his heart thunder, just a little. Her finger slid down the edge of his cheek and tapped, very lightly, on his lips.

" Yes." Zane snapped through gritted teeth. " That's _it_."

Instead of scowling at him, like he'd expected her to do, Camulla let out a trilling laugh, patting his cheek as though he were a child. All around them, her bats echoed her hilarity, squeaking until their shrill calls made the water ripple.

" Ve vill see if you still feel that vay by the end of the night." Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the fluttering pulse at his neck.

" Quit touching me, and let's just get this over with." Zane made to pull a card.

" _Here_, darling?" Camulla raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. " My, my, you _are_ eager."

Zane stopped, looking at the vampire suspiciously.

" I had thought, perhaps, ve might duel in a more…dramatic setting." She gestured to the castle that was slowly fading out of the mist, floating on the black water.

" This isn't dramatic enough for you?" Zane looked around. The trees whistled in the cold wind and the fog was so thick he could just see the form of the Shadow Rider, her red dress gleaming in the distilled moonlight.

" Vhen you've lived as long as I have, darling, such sights become commonplace." The woman shrugged as she looked distastefully around her. " Things that you might find fascinating are drab and listless in my eyes. Come." She beckoned him to follow her as she started down the carpet. " I vill show you a vision of _true_ magnificence!"

She vanished into the mist, her bats flitting this way and that, screeching and wailing, their cries all mixed together in horrendous cacophony until Zane could swear he heard screams echoing up from the water. He put his hands over his ears, trying to drown out the sounds, but the screaming slithered in between his fingers, coiling around his eardrums and sifting through his brain until they rose up all the other sounds (the flapping of the bats, and lapping of the water, the very sound of his heart. And with each beat of that traitorous heart – _It's the right thing to do_ – the screams crescendo-ed, breaking over him like a maddening wave.)

Zane yanked the hands at his ears back, greeted with a dead silence.

" Come if you dare, darling." Camulla's disembodied voice baited.

With a steady foot, Zane stepped onto the carpet, and walked forward, placing one foot in front of the other, trying very hard to ignore the ripples on the water below. His hands, still trembling from earlier, were clenched into fists and hung at his sides, the weight of his disk oddly comforting.

**_**

It might've once been a ballroom.

A great room, looming up to the sky, with great, glaring windows of stained glass, greeted him at the end of the candle lit hall. A faded red carpet, much drabber and older than the one he'd taken to get to the castle, covered the floor. Two raised platforms, overlooking the ground like balconies, stood at either end of the room, the railings that had once gone all around shattered and broken in bits. The opposite wall, painted an eerie blue, rose up behind a grand stair railing that looped the entire room, broken and splintered in places. High above him, hanging from the ceiling, was a circle of brass with a few, chipped candles attached to it, which was all that remained of what he was sure had once been a beautiful chandelier.

If the room itself was unimpressive (and, truth be told, it wasn't. The massive size, the delicate windows, the ruined chandelier all contributed to the dramatic feel), then the air of tragedy that emanated from it certainly was. The instant Zane stepped into the room, he was almost driven to his knees by the feeling of sadness that oozed from every wall, that dripped from the absent candles like melted wax, that slunk up from the floor and seeped into his flesh.

There was a sense of candlelight, of laughing couples, and goblets of spiced wine being held in delicate hands. Before his eyes, he could almost see the spinning figures of men and women in century old dress, dancing gaily to the music that played from nowhere.

He blinked and the vision was gone, snuffed out like a candle in the wind.

He blinked again, to rid his eyes of the tears.

" So, you see vhy I chose this arena."

Camulla stood atop the platform, looking out over the empty ballroom with far away eyes.

" It is a fitting place for a battle with such high stakes, vouldn't you agree darling?"

" What is this place?" Zane whispered to himself as he climbed up to the platform opposite. " What happened here?"

" Pain." Camulla spat. " Pain and suffering." She stopped abruptly. " But I don't vant to talk about such unpleasant things now, darling."

" Fine then." Zane let his disk activate. " Let's move on to the dueling."

" You seem to have read my mind, darling." Camulla grinned. " If you don't mind, I'd like to start things off my summoning my Vampire Lady in defense mode!"

There was a flash of muted light (darker, somehow, than the light he was used to), and a trilling laugh, and then a pale skinned girl wearing a flowing magenta gown appeared, kneeling on her card.

" And then, von card face down." Camulla smiled slyly at him. " Your turn."

(Truth be told, Zane had half been expecting the exuberant 'I'm thrownin' down a face down!" that ran rampant at Duel Academy. It was a bit of a relief to see that it had caught on in the rest of the world yet.)

" Since you seemed to be so eager to have this duel with me," Zane yanked a card out, " I supposed I'll have to impress you."

" That's vhat I like to hear, darling." Her fangs gleamed.

" I'll use Power Bond to fuse my three Cyber Dragons together!"

Camulla looked taken a back, going so far as to take a small step away from where a trio of lights had lit up Zane's side of the field, and his dragons were roaring in approval.

" And when these three dragons combine, they form the unstoppable Cyber End Dragon!"

With a triumphant roar, his dragon emerged from the light that flooded his side, towering over him in a mass of gleaming metal and sharp, jewel bright eyes that sneered at the stunned vampire. The three heads of the Cyber End Dragon went rearing back and let out an ear splitting keen, the metal of their hooked jaws grating together as they proclaimed their arrival. Zane, despite the feeling of sorrow that was still stirring in his chest (next to the heart that had broken with Syrus' proclamation), smirked.

" I take it I've accomplished my goal."

" Oh darling…" Camulla stared up at the monster, her eyes wide. Slowly, a manic smile spread across her face, throwing her fangs into sharp relief. With a heaving chest she grinned up at her opponents monster, her pale cheeks almost flushing in the red tinted light shining in through the coloured glass behind her.

" Oh, I _knew_ it darling!" She clasped her hands in rapture. " I knew it the second I _saw_ you! I knew you vould be the von to give me my great duel!"

" Your 'great duel'?" Zane raised an eyebrow.

" Not now, darling, not now!" Camulla pulled a card from her deck. " That will come later! But for now, let's see vhat it is you can do vith that great beast of yours!"

Zane rolled his eyes at her theatrics.

" If you want to lose so quickly." He sighed, and then threw his arm forward, his eyes like steel.

" Power Bond doubles the attack points of my monster, giving him 8000!"

" 8000?" Camulla breathed. " My, darling, you certainly do vork fast."

" And the bite," Zane smirked, " is most definitely as bad as the bark! Cyber End Dragon, attack Vampire Lady with Super Strident Blaze!"

Each head went up, it's mouth filling with bright yellow light. With a shuddering movement, each head sent the blazing ball of light hurtling towards the kneeling girl. As the balls flew at her, they struck, and in a shower of sparks, combined into one huge ball that threatened to engulf the vampire.

" Not so fast, my dear Zane!" Camulla's grin stretched from ear to ear. " I play the trap card, Red Ghost Moon!"

Her face down card flew up, revealing a haunting, grinning visage carved into a crimson moon.

" If I discard von zombie to the Graveyard, Red Ghost Moon adds the attack points of your monster to my life points." She stared the attack down. " So it's 1200 points for me, and yours drop down to 0, vhat vith Power Bond's effect."

" Wrong." Zane slapped a card down onto his disk. " I activate Diffusion, which takes my Dragon, and splits it up into its three original components." Above him the Cyber End Dragon glowed. As the glow split itself up into three separate glowing entities, Zane breathed a well-hidden sigh of relief. " So you're left with nothing, Camulla, what with red Ghost Moon's target gone."

" And with Power Bond gone, you don't suffer any consequences." Camulla sighed. " You are a most vorthy opponent, my darling."

" Stop calling me that." Zane snapped at her. " This is a duel, not a chance for you to flirt."

" Flirting implies that what I am doing is not serious. And let me assure you darling, that I am completely serious." Camulla looked him dead in the eye. " Your soul will make a fine addition to my army. I may even make you my king, if you continue to impress me."

" What army?" Zane said, put on edge. " What king?"

" I am old, darling." Camulla looked away, staring at the opposite wall. " Older than you can imagine." She smiled sadly. " Eternity can be so lonely and cold, vhen there's no one to share it with."

" I'll play one face down." Zane said, eyeing the vampire as though she may attack him (she was a _vampire_, his preservation instincts argued, there was a pretty safe bet that she might attack him).

" Vhat?" Camulla blinked, drawn out of whatever dreamed had invaded her senses. " Oh, yes, of course darling. Good move."

Zane blinked at the praise.

" It's your turn you know."

" Oh yes, yes of course. I'll sacrifice Vampire Lady to summon Vampire Lord!" The kneeling girl vanished in a swirl of light. In her place floated a young man in a dark purple suit with a flowing red cape, his pale aqua hair shading one of his eyes from view. " And then, I'll sacrifice _him_ to summon Vampire Genesis!"

In the place of the young man rose up one of the most hideous monsters Zane had ever seen. It was a bulky, muscle-y purple bodied thing with demonic red eyes and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. From each finger jutted a pointed claw, and two curved horns curled out from where his ears should be over his shoulders. A third horn speared out from the center of his forehead. At his back was an unusual set of blue wings, each strewn in between an ugly, dark blue claw, of which there were five. If he had been any less of a duelist, Zane would have cringed. As it was, he just let the corner of his mouth drop distastefully.

' _Well, isn't that a pretty sight_?' He thought sarcastically.

" Vampire Genesis, see if you can't shake that blank exterior a bit." Camulla pointed at Zane. " Attack him!"

The monster made to spew something from its body.

" Sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to interrupt." Zane stared at the writhing creature. " I play my face down card, Attack Reflector Unit!"

" Don't tell me…"

" This card will evolve my Cyber Dragon into the Cyber Barrier Dragon!" His dragon was surrounded by a shining blue light. " And if the Cyber Barrier Dragon is in attack mode, then, once per turn, it allows me to send your monster's attack," Vampire Genesis let a wave of red energy surge off of its body, " right back to where it started!"

The energy smashed into the bright green shield that had surrounded his monster. With a screech, the Cyber Barrier Dragon tossed the attack back at the stunned Vampire Genesis, who went skidding backwards, but was otherwise unharmed.

Camulla flinched as the resulting shockwaves made the platform she was standing on tremble. When they had finally died down, she stood straight up, her lip half turned up to reveal a fang.

" Vell played, darling."

" Seeing as how it's my turn, I'll play the spell, Pot of Greed." He stopped. " I don't have to tell you what this does, do I?"

" Of course not, vhy vould you?" Camulla looked confused.

" It's just that…every time I've ever played this card, or anytime anyone else plays it, someone had to explain what it does."

" That…sounds like it could get very boring very fast."

" Tell me about it…I'm just gonna draw my two cards now."

" Oh, go right ahead, darling."

" It's Zane."

" Of course it is, darling."

" I'll play the spell Photon Generator Unit!" Zane held up the card. " By sacrificing my two dragons, I can summon the Cyber Laser Dragon."

" You are rather fond of those dragons, aren't you?" Camulla smiled up at them. " They really are quite beautiful. I had a dragon once. He was just a tiny little thing. It was a tradition to give them to your children when they reached a certain age. My poor Aaron never got his dragon."

" Who?" Zane couldn't resist.

And then Camulla looked at him, really looked at him for the first time, and the tragedy that had hung in the air came rushing back into his chest. In her eyes, across the desecrated ballroom, was all the sorrow and all the pain of an entire race, summed up in one pair of glistening eyes that could not cry. His chest constricted painfully, and Zane fell to his knees, gasping, his own eyes stinging with Camulla's tears.

" Aaron vas my son. My dear sweet little boy. My light. He vas fond of running, my Aaron, and he always beat all the mortal children he used to play with. But they never hated him, never resented him. They applauded and laughed vith him, and patted him on the back. They vere innocent. They did not hate." Her voice was barely a whisper, barely a sound over the howling wind and the crashing waves. But Zane heard her, clear as if she was shouting from the rooftops. The sadness flooded deeper, over his chest and down his body and into his weakened legs. Then up his torso and into his throat (he couldn't speak. He couldn't call for help. All he could do was make terrible, hiccupping noises), up his pale cheeks and into his eyes (he'd never cried before, not even when he'd pushed Syrus away.) over his aching forehead and into his puzzled brain, seating itself in between his thoughts.

" They didn't understand vhy they were forbidden to play vith us." Camulla whispered. " They didn't understand vhy their parents started killing all the vampires they saw, even the little ones who used to run in between the rocks vith them. They didn't understand vhy Aaron, my sweet little Aaron, was lying dead on the ground. They asked vhat vas happening. They vanted to know vhat had gone wrong. But I vas so angry…" Camulla pressed a hand to her eyes, which were dry. On his side of the field, Zane cried harder. " I vas so angry and hurt…can I be blamed? Should I be hated? They'd taken my son from me…shouldn't I take theirs from them?"

" Stop it!" Zane choked hoarsely. " Whatever you're doing, stop it!"

" My heart can't break, darling. It stopped beating centuries ago." Camulla looked at him indulgently. " My eyes can't bring forth tears. They vere dried with my rebirth. I need a beating heart, I need vet eyes, if I am to show you."

" This…this feeling…" Zane clasped a hand over his chest. " This feeling is…"

" This is my sorrow, Zane." And then Camulla was before him, cupping his cheek and forcing him to stare into her eyes. " This is my heart, broken vhen it could not be shattered, torn vhen it could not bleed. Only a mortal who bears a broken heart can feel my pain." She pressed his hand against where her heart was. There was s stillness there, an emptiness that made him want to pull away.

" There is no beat to skip, no breath to still. My pain is immortal, because I cannot feel it."

And then he blinked, and she was back across the field, staring at his Cyber Laser Dragon, and he was on his feet, like nothing had happened. And he was speaking, his throat unclogged.

" And Cyber Laser Dragon allows me to destroy one monster with equal or greater attack or defense points to it, once a turn."

" I bet you talk to all the girls like that."

" No." Zane's eyes narrowed. " Just the ones I really don't like." Anger was easier to deal with the confusion that was clouding his mind.

" Careful darling." Camulla bared her fangs. " Or you might just hurt my feelings."

" I'd rather hurt your life points!" Zane shouted. " Cyber Laser Dragon, Blue Lightning Lash!"

The blue light struck Vampire Genesis, making him vanish in an explosion of stars.

" And now, attack Camulla directly!"

The light struck her as well, sending the vampire spiraling back against the wall. The dust kicked up by her crash landing settled onto the ground. Shakily, she climbed to her feet, her hair a bit messier, and smudged of dirt of her face. She glared at him

" And now, Cyber Barrier Dragon attacks! Sonic Shriek!"

The look on her face as she was being thrown back against the wall she had just hobbled away from, Zane decided, made everything worth it.

" And one face down ends my turn." Zane smirked. " Have I been living up to your expectations of me?"

" Careful darling." Camulla chided from behind the dust. " You're forcing me to reveal my ugly side. And if these keeps up," the dust cloud settled, " it will only get uglier."

' _I don't think I'll be able to keep my cool if that gets any uglier_.' Zane thought, but knew better than to say out loud.

" I play Illusion Gate!"

And then everything went straight to Hell.

Not the duel exactly.

Yes, Camulla summoning Cyber End Dragon to her side of the field was bad. And having previously destroyed all the monsters on his side of the field was quite a bit on an inconvenience. And watching Camulla split into two separate, but very corporal Camullas had freaked him out more than he dared to admit (stupid horror movies. Why he had stayed up watching them – and forced Syrus to stay up watching them too- when he was a kid was coming back to haunt him).

But it wasn't as if he didn't have a plan. The second she'd ordered the Cyber End Dragon's attack, he'd played Call of the Haunted, and used his newly resurrected Cyber Barrier Dragon to send the attack ripping right back. And while it actually made his chest tight to have to destroy his own monster, he knew in the end it would be worth it when Camulla was defeated, and there would be one less Shadow Rider in the world. So he silently saluted his beast as it went down, relishing in the look of horror on Camulla's face as she was defeated. The Illusion Gate had opened ominously, and Zane had stood back to watch it take her soul to the Sacred Beasts, just as she said would happened.

Camulla had smirked.

" Darling," she taunted, " I said I had to offer _a_ soul. I never said it had to be _my_ soul!"

And then she'd pointed at him, smiling manically.

" I vill honour my word and give up my quest." He was being pulled toward the glowing gate. " But if I don't get to have you darling, I don't think anyone else should either!"

And, laughing in a distinctly insane way, Camulla had watched him being helplessly dragged toward the burning, blazing light.

" Like _Hell_!"

And then he was being pushed away, rolling and tumbling over his own two feet, skidding along the musty caret, kicking up dust. He snapped his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, content to let himself fall head over heels so long as he was away from the vice like grip of the shadows yanking him into that blinding light. He heard Camulla's shriek of rage, and the creaking of the gate as it began to close, and finally opened his eyes.

Syrus was floating, glaring determinedly at Camulla, towards the open Illusion Gate.

" Not my brother!" The boy snapped. " You can't have him you bitch!"

" Syrus!" A horror, unlike any he had ever felt, filled him. " What the Hell are you doing?!"

Syrus turned to him, his eyes softening.

" I didn't mean it!" He called. Zane's heart skipped a beat. " I didn't mean _any_ of it! You can talk to me whenever you want, and nothing's over, because I never meant to say any of that stuff! I was just so mad!"

Behind him, Camulla gave a start, staring at the boy being dragged into the blinding abyss.

" I told you not to come!" It seemed very important that he scold Syrus. " I _told_ you!"

" But I'm not getting in the way!" Syrus smiled, and Zane's heart, whatever was left of it, shattered and swelled at the same time, sending sharp shards spewing out to jab at his body. " I'm helping you Zane!"

" Get away from that thing!" Zane shouted desperately, trying to push himself to his feet.

Syrus shook his head.

" I can't Zane. It's got to take somebody, and I'd rather it be me than you."

He was almost in the light now. Zane finally managed to right himself and went lopping across the distance, terror making his steps clumsy and unbalanced. He took another tumble, rolling forward and hauling himself back up again, eyes locked on where his brother was slowly vanishing.

" You stay right where you are! You stay _right there_!"

" It has to be one of us." Syrus seemed so resigned to that fact, and Zane's heart leapt up into his throat. " And it can't be you, because you're the one everyone needs. You're the brave one, the strong one, the smart one. You can't go away."

" Neither can you!" Zane shouted, still running forward. " You can't leave Syrus!"

" It's okay. I finally got to be the hero." Syrus smiled. " And that's all I ever wanted. To be remembered like that."

" You don't have to be remembered because you _aren't going anywhere_!" Zane reached his hand forward, trying to grab at Syrus' sleeve. The boy gave a small, sad, smile, and leaned into the light.

" Bye, Zane. Tell everyone goodbye for me." He was almost there. His fingers brushed the edge of that stupid red jacket he'd used as justification to bully his brother more (full circle, second chance, rebirth; why did he never hear opportunity when it knocked? Why was he always such a blind fool?).

" And I know you don't want to hear it Zane," His fingers closed around the fabric, " but…"

Just one pull backwards and…

" _I love you_."

The gate slammed shut.

* * *

Well? What do you all think? Was that awesome? Did I do good? Did you like it? Please feed my ego, because I am so nervous about this chapter.

I think that everything is pretty self-explanatory, but just in case:

Aaron - I wanted something with a ling 'r' sound, and old sounding. Plus, Aaron means 'light'.

Camulla not being destroyed - She was my favourite Shadow Rider, because she seemed like she had the best shot at redemption. Abidos was nice (pretty much) to begin with, and Atticus was brainwashed (and Tayna was just too intense for me to like too much- don't worry, she won't be bashed). I might bring Camulla back for a cameo in later Years. You never know.

MoS


	37. The Lament

Warnings: Zane being emo. That's about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX._

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**Year One: The Academic**

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Zane stared in horror at the empty space where his little brother had just disappeared into.

He shook his head.

This wasn't happening. There was no way this could be happening. There was no way that Syrus had just vanished into that blinding abyss. He was back in the nurse's office. Zane was sure of it. He would walk out of the castle, down the red carpet and back to the school. And he'd walk into the campus hospital, and everyone would look up and demand to know where he'd been. Alexis would forget the awkwardness between them and poke him in the chest, screaming at him for disappearing on them. Chazz would roll his eyes and call him a show off, huffing with all his bravado. Bastian would laugh and ask if their bat problem had been solved. Lia would glare at him from over the portable DVD player, and he would ignore her, and she would bristle and get ready to yell at him, and Jaden would lay a hand on her arm to calm her down. And then Jaden would give him a brilliant smile, and that two fingered salute of his, exclaiming about how he wanted the next duel. And then the other key keepers would pounce on him, telling him to stay in bed, while Chumley would try to calm everyone down.

And there, in the corner, sulking and looking away from him, would be Syrus. His arms would be crossed and his face would be angry, and his eyes would be sparking, but he'd be there, and Zane would pull him out and into the hall, and Syrus would ask why Zane had bothered to come back. And he would be hurt and broken and angry, but it meant he cared, and it meant that he _hadn't_ meant all those things he'd said to his brother, and Zane still had a chance to make everything right.

And they would talk. Zane and Syrus would sit down and talk and talk and talk until their tongues hurt and their lips started to bleed. They'd talk about their childhood, and Duel Monsters, and their favourite cards, and their classes, and Syrus' friends and his dorm and his life and how he was doing in the world Zane was so sure would annihilate him. And then, maybe, if they had time, they would talk about them.

And if they did have time, and they did get to them, they'd talk about the promise Zane's made to the newborn reaching out of the cloth towards him. They'd talk about the way Zane saw the world, and why he though Syrus wasn't ready for it. They'd talk about why Zane had said those things and why Zane had broken his heart and why Zane thought it was _the right thing to do_. And then they'd talk about how much it had hurt, and how much Zane wanted to take it all back, and how much he wished he could redo that day so long ago. And then, maybe, if they did have the time, and they did talk about them, Zane would get down on his knees and beg for Syrus' forgiveness.

And maybe, if Syrus had the beautiful heart Zane had always known him to have, and Zane had accurately portrayed just how much it had hurt him to hurt Syrus, and if Zane eyes were filled with tears, then maybe, just maybe, Syrus would forgive him.

And then Zane would say the words Syrus had been waiting his whole life to hear, and Zane had been waiting for 15 years to say.

If they had the time, and they got to talking about them, and if Zane told Syrus everything, and if Syrus understood, and Zane begged for forgiveness, and Syrus granted it, if all that happened, Zane was going to tell his little brother that he loved him.

And it was all going to happen, because Syrus was waiting back at the campus hospital, feeling hurt and lousy, probably sitting dejectedly in a corner. He wasn't trapped in some dark, dank hole, surrounded on all sides by black and the monstrous roars of the Sacred Beasts echoing in his ears. He wasn't in that place because he hadn't come to save Zane, because he was mad at Zane and he was back in the hospital because if he wasn't…

If he wasn't…

(He'd made a promise; he'd taken an oath; he'd sworn a vow. He loved his little brother more than anything in the world –more than dueling and winning and his dragons- and come Hell or high water he would protect that boy.)

" How fitting." Camulla whispered to the still air.

Zane turned, very slowly, to look at her.

" In the place vhere my sorrow began, yours is complete." She too, was staring at the space the Illusion Gate had occupied, her face blank and a strange look in her eyes.

The Illusion Gate…

The card that had ripped Syrus from him…

The card Camulla had played.

With a speed that he hadn't known he possessed, he marched up to where Camulla stood, and grabbed her forcibly by the shoulders. Leaning back so that she was forced to stare into his livid eyes, he said, very calmly,

" Bring my brother back."

Camulla gave him a searching look.

" I can't." She said simply.

" Bring him back." Zane repeated, his grip on her shoulder tightening.

" I can't. It's not vithin my power." She shook her head.

" I didn't ask you if it was something you could do." An edge crept into his voice. " I told you to bring my baby brother back. Now do it."

" That," Camulla said slowly, " is completely impossible."

" _I don't care_!" Zane roared, shaking the vampire in his grasp back and forth. " _You_ played the card, _you_ knew the consequences, and it's _your_ fault _my little brother_ is now _gone_!"

He threw her back against the wall. She landed with a yelp, arching back against the hard landing. Zane marched up to her and hauled her up, his hand enclosed around her neck.

" _Bring him back_." His voice was deadly.

" His soul has already been offered to the Sacred Beasts!" Camulla spat, wrenching her neck free with one pull of her hand. For having such slim arms and delicate features, there was a surprising amount of strength to be found in her muscles. It might have been a vampire thing, or she might just have resented being manhandled. But she shook off Zane's grip like a wet dog shaking off water, and fixed him with a glare.

" Vonce a soul has been offered, it is impossible to simply call it back!" She snapped at him. " It has gone to the Beasts, who vill devour it to try and sate their immense hunger!"

" Devour?" Zane stepped back, as if physical struck. He staggered back, bringing his hand up to press over his pulsating heart. A dull ache spread through it, originating from where the fragmented remains of his heart hung. Numb from the shock of it all, Zane leaned against the wall. Trying vainly to wrap his mind around what the vampire was telling him.

" The Beasts are insatiably hungry. They vill consume any soul that is offered to them."

" Syrus." Zane said softly, tears gathering in his eyes. Across the room from him, Camulla's look softened, and she stepped around the fallen pieces of wood and made her way to him. As she approached, Zane didn't seem to notice. He was staring out into space, a glazed look in his eyes, his hand fisted in his shirt.

He jumped when the draculina placed a tentative hand on his shoulder.

" Darling." He glared at her, and she sighed. " Listen to me: Your brother _gave_ his soul to the Sacred Beasts in exchange for yours-"

" You think I don't _know_ that?!" Zane threw her hand away. " You think I don't _understand_?! Syrus threw his soul away for _me_! You think I don't feel bad enough already?!"

" Vould you keep quiet for even one minute!" Camulla snapped at him, smacking him across the face with her clawed hand. Her talon-like nails drew four parallel lines of blood in Zane's cheek. He blinked, touching his cheek with his hand. His fingers came back red, wet, and sticky.

" You are vorse than a child sometimes." Camulla huffed. " A great duelist, but a trifle…emotionally stunted."

" Get on with it!" Zane growled dangerously at her.

" A soul taken from its body and offered to the Beasts has no hope of return." Camulla elaborated, ignoring Zane's horrified look. " But a soul that is given freely…especially von given in place of another…"

" What?" Zane looked at her. Camulla looked at him.

" Your brother gave his soul in place of yours. He sacrificed it so that you vould be safe. The Shadows are not accustom to such bravery and strength. An innocent is a powerful thing. But a martyred innocent…" Camulla looked directly into Zane's eyes.

" There is a chance that the Beasts vill not be able to feast on his soul. He _gave_ his soul to them so that you vould be spared. That kind of love is powerful. Perhaps powerful enough to hold the Sacred Beasts at bay long enough for you to recover him."

" So he _can_ be brought back?!" Zane leapt up, grabbing Camulla's shoulders." _How_?! Tell me! I'll do anything, you understand?! _Anything_!"

" It isn't something vithin my power." Camulla said softly. " Nor is it vithin yours."

Zane stopped shaking her.

" What do you mean?"

Camulla gave him a pitying look.

" His soul vas, regardless of the circumstances, given to the Sacred Beasts. He is in their possession now. If you vish to have your brother back, you must vin him from the Beasts."

**_**

" In a duel?!"

The room was silent, except for the sound of the machine carefully monitoring the steady rise and fall of Atticus' chest. Any other time, Alexis would be at her brother's side, staring at the machine, watching for any signs of a change in his state. So far, there had been none. But at the moment of Jaden's incredulous shout, she was sitting by a very distraught Zane, who had wandered in, proclaimed that 'it' was all his fault, and then collapsed into a chair, crying.

Out of respect, and possibly awkwardness, Jaden, Chumley, and Chazz had all turned their heads away and looked at the opposite wall, trying desperately to strike up some conversation to drown out small, but distinct sounds of Zane's tears. Alexis had shot from her brother's bedside and was beside Zane in a matter of seconds, kneeling down to look in his eyes and continually pleading for him to tell her what was wrong. But Zane had merely shook his head back and forth, tears dripping down off his nose.

It wasn't until Jaden asked where Syrus had gone off to, and Zane's head shot up, giving the other boy a painful, apologizing look, that the Slifer understood the depth of the situation.

" What happened to Syrus, Zane?"

In Jaden's voice there had been steel, and where Alexis had failed to coax the story out of him, Jaden succeeded, possibly because Zane thought that he owed it to the boy.

" It…it was all my fault…if I hadn't…if I had just ended the duel before she played it…none of this would've happened…Syrus wouldn't…he wouldn't have…"

And the whole story had come spilling out.

With Alexis holding him tightly around his shoulders. Zane had explained, in as much possible detail as he could, what had happened when he and Syrus had walked out the door to go and find Camulla. If Jaden was disgusted with his behaviour toward his brother, even with his pitiful explanation as to _why_ he had done it, the Slifer gave no indication; only motioned for the older boy to continue.

But by the time Zane managed to get to the part where Syrus had pushed Zane out of the way and offered his soul in his brother's place, Zane had broken down again, cursing himself and letting the tears drip out from his eyes. Suddenly, there was a warm hand on his shoulder, and he looked up into Jaden's concerned, gentle eyes.

" I know this is hurting you, bro." He said softly, standing almost perfectly straight (he was slightly bent at the waist), and still on eye level with Zane. " I know this must be hard." He gave the shoulder a squeeze. " But I'll promise you this much." The eyes went hard. " We are not gonna let Syrus just rot with those Sacred Beasts. We are gonna find a way to get him back, even if we have to take all our keys, unlock those gates, and unleash the Beasts themselves to get Syrus back!"

There was a conviction in his tone, a belief that made the cloud of hopelessness that had settled over Zane's heart lift, if only for an instant. In Jaden's eyes was a will that refused to be broken, no matter what the odds. It struck Zane, suddenly, that Syrus was probably going to go far in the world, if these were the kinds of people he'd managed to befriend.

" Yeah, Sy's out pal!" Chumley chimed in.

" We'll get him back, no matter what." Alexis reached over and wiped the tears away from Zane's eyes. " Just you wait and see."

" Well, if you're all going to walk through Hell for the midget, I might as well walk you to the gate." Chazz rolled his eyes.

" I _knew_ you cared, Chazz!" Jaden gave him a bright grin. The older boy blushed pink and looked away.

" It's not like I like the twerp or anything! I just don't want you trying to get ahead of me!"

" Sure, _right_."

" It's got nothing to do with wanting to help Syrus!"

" You see?" Alexis leaned close to his ear, so he could hear her over the ruckus of Chazz and Jaden squabbling (most of it was Chazz; Jaden was smiling and egging him on with a few well placed jibes) " Syrus is in good hands. Jaden'll get him back. We all will."

" How…" Zane trailed off, trying to find the right words to properly expressing his thoughts. " How did Syrus ever end up with friends like you guys?"

" Sy's a good kid." Alexis looked over at where Jaden was ducking the pillow Chazz had chucked at him. " And Jaden's not the type to overlook someone in need."

" Yeah." Zane murmured.

" Atty would try to get your brother back too, you know that, right?" Alexis asked, shooting a look at her comatose brother. " If he could get up right now, he would be racing out there to convince Sheppard to let him duel the Sacred Beasts."

" Yeah, I know."

" You're his best friend. He'd do anything for you."

" Mmh."

Chumley looked over at the two Obelisks, taking in Zane's puffy eyes and slumping posture.

" I think Zane should lie down for a while. He's had a rough night." The large boy advised.

" He can have my bed!" Jaden offered, jumping off the mattress. Carefully, Alexis helped Zane up and moved him over the offered bed, where Zane sank down onto the sheet, staring into nothingness.

" One of us should go tell Chancellor Sheppard what happened."

" Speaking of teachers, does this mean Crowler's alright?" Chazz asked, looking down at Zane. The older boy blinked, and tried to focus his thoughts.

" Yeah, I saw her release the spell right before she left. She sent the key back too. To the box Sheppard has it in. She said now that it's been used, it's nothing more than a trinket."

" Close your eyes." Alexis instructed soothingly. " Try to get some sleep."

" So, I'll tell Sheppard." Chazz said, brushing past the rest of the group.

" Someone should tell Bastian and Lia what happened." Chumley said.

" I will." Alexis offered, getting up.

" But what about your brother, Lex?" Jaden asked. Alexis paused at the door, and looked over her shoulder at the boy, smiling.

" Zane is Atticus' best friend in the world. He'd want me to do everything I can to get his brother back."

" Okay." Jaden waved to her. " Tell them to come here. And try not to let Lia scream at Zane. I think he feels bad enough as it is."

" I'll make sure she gets all the anger out before we leave." Alexis darted out, and then stuck her head back in.

" You'll let me know if there's any change with my brother, right?"

Jaden waved her out the door.

" I'll let you know immediately."

The grin sighed in relief.

" Thanks." And then she ran off, headed for the Ra dorms.

Chumley stood up and followed Alexis' path towards the door.

" Where're you going, Chum?" Jaden called after him.

" To the kitchen to get some food."

Jaden sweat dropped.

"Chumley, this really isn't the time…"

" People like to do _something_ when they're upset. Might as well eat and keep our strength up. And I get the feeling that we're gonna have to force some food down Zane's throat before he eats anything."

Jaden could see the logic in that.

" Then we'd better do it before Lia gets here." Jaden shot a look at the sleeping boy occupying his hospital bed. " She's not gonna be happy about this."

" None of us are."

" Yeah, but none of us quite hate Zane the same way Lia does."

" So we should keep her away from him?"

" Something like that."

" 'Kay." Chumley nodded. " I'll go get us some snacks." He headed out the door. " Don't get into any duels where your soul is on the line while I'm gone, okay?"

" I promise." Jaden called out the door.

In the empty room, Jaden let out a sigh, listening to it bounce off the walls. Beside him, still sprawled atop the sheets was the pale Zane, his cheeks glistening with dried tear tracks and his face troubled. Across the room was the still unconscious Atticus, breathing deeply in the blue tinted mask on his face, his chest falling up and down. Heaving another sigh, Jaden sat down next to his fellow brunet, running a hand messily through his hair.

" Well, isn't this just perfect?" He mumbled to himself. " The shit's really hit the fan this time, hasn't it?"

He leaned back on the chair, staring at the ceiling.

" How the Hell are we gonna fix this?"

" You might try not falling backwards and cracking your skull open. That isn't going to help this kid."

The voice startled Jaden so much that he lost his balance on the chair and went flying backwards, bouncing onto the bed behind his and cracking the back of his head off the wall the bed was pushed up against. Muttering several choice phrases under his breath in Japanese, Jaden sat up, rubbing his sore head, and looked around to see where the voice had come from.

Lying in his bed, smirking at the boy's display, was a very awake, very amused, Atticus Rhodes, who, when he noticed Jaden's attention, pointed to the breathing mask still strapped on his face.

" You mind removing this thing?"

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He-llo everbody! How has your week been? Agonized about Syrus' fate yet? My week has been awesome. I moved into my residence on Monday, and cried half the night (the other half of which I did NOT sleep. Stupid adjusting to differences!), and then on Tuesday I got up, told myself to stop crying, and made a whole bunch of new friends, one of whom is a fellow author on this lovely site! Her story was the one that eventually spawned Lia and spurred me into writing this story! Small world. And tomorrow, I'm going to do a fun charity thing called 'Shineorama', and raise money for a disease I can't pronounce the name of.

The food at my college (we live in colleges at Trent University, because our university is actually quite small. Well, compare to Guelph and York and Queens it is, but I like it).

I've had a bit of hectic time, trying to change some of my courses, but I finally know what I'm taking: Anthropology (my major), second year Spanish, Introductary German, Linguistics, and Sociology. And I really what to be a socio-cultural anthropologist, which has some linguistics in it. AND next year, I'm taking upper year French. I wanted to this year, but there was a conflict, so I had to drop it. Government job, I'm on my way!

I hope you all had a good first week of school, to my high school readers, and for those of you in university, I am in your ranks now! Frosh Week is officially over after Sunday, and then I have my first class: A German lecture at nine. My schedule has a lot of stuff in the morning, but it's interspersed throughout the day, so I think I'll be good. I'm trying to find a job on-campus, so everybody, wish me luck!

Let's look at some translations, shall we?

Syrus: Yes, I've decided that he was taken Body AND Soul, partly because it gets him out of the way for a while, and partly because I think the Beasts would eat the physical as well as the spiritual.

There's really not much to translate, because it's all pretty straightforward for this chapter. But notice that Lia isn't there. This is a Duelist moment, and she would be really alienated here, because she could never understand how dueling is the only way to get Syrus back.

Or is it?

See you next week,

MoS


	38. The Amazon

Warnings: Lia acting like an idiot. I'm serious. She's being an idiot.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

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**Year One: The Academic**

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In the weeks that followed the loss of Syrus' soul to the Sacred Beasts, several things began to happen in rapid succession. First off, Chumley dragged Jaden (who was feeling better, but was spending an increasing amount of time – when not in class- either in the hospital, reassuring Zane that everything would be alright; or else in his room brooding and trying to think of a way to get his best friend back) out to the Duel Academy wading pool, with the help of Chazz, who was apparently there under protest (the boy had been spending an increasing amount of time hovering around Jaden, claiming to make sure that he wasn't going to do anything stupid. But they could all tell he was worried ).

The outing had gone well, was what the general consensus was when asked, but Jaden had privately warned all of his friends to stay away from the wading pool for a while.

And then there had been the incident with Chazz's brothers and them wanting to take over the school. Jaden and Chazz had disappeared into the forest for a few hours, hunting a rumour about a well and some cards. When they'd returned, Chazz looked even more irritable than usual, Jaden was grinning, and the two could be seen chatting (one on the point of shouting, the other conversationally) with the empty air by Chazz's shoulder. But since all great duelists had to be a little insane to get by (Seto Kaiba was freakishly obsessive, Joey Wheeler had a gambling problem, and Yuugi Motou had M.P.D. Or at least, that was how the media spun it. Really, looking back, it was a wonder any of them had escaped the psyche ward.), no one really paid it any mind.

Lia wasn't exactly sure what had happened (her brain was already stressed to the breaking point and really, how more was she to be expected to take?), but she knew Chazz had beaten his brothers badly, despite not being able to use any of his stronger monsters. The whole thing had been described to her by an exuberant Jaden (she hadn't gone. She'd been sound asleep, having taken enough sleeping pills to knock out a full grown male elephant), and translated into a language she could understand by an indulgent Bastian.

But even the excitement of the duel didn't distract Jaden for long. By the next day he'd been back in his room, thinking about Syrus and wondering how to get him back. Surprisingly, none of the teachers were too harsh on him when he continually turned up to class late. They all seemed to understand that he'd stayed up all night worrying his head off. Even Crowler, usually the first to jump on Jaden's back about the smallest of things, was unusually subdued around the boy. (Of course, Crowler had been unusually subdued since he'd come back from being a doll.)

Lia had taken the news of Syrus' disappearance better than anyone had thought.

" _So, he's gone then."_

" _For now!" Alexis insisted. " But we're going to get him back!"_

" _Oh, that's good."_

" _Of course! We can't just leave Syrus to those hungry Beasts!"_

" _Of course not." Lia looked away. " Could…you leave me alone for a bit? I sorta…I wanna digest this."_

" _No problem." Alexis smiled sadly. " I'll check back in after I tell Bastian, okay?"_

" _That'd be nice." Lia nodded, and walked the blonde to the door. As she closed it, she heard Alexis' videophone start to beep._

When Alexis had come back, a few hours later (because on her way to Bastian, Jaden had called to tell her that Atticus had woken up briefly, and pressed the other part of the medallion into his hands. She'd run to Bastian's room, banged on the door, and when he'd opened it, given him a quick rundown of what was going on. Then she'd taken off back to the hospital. To her immense disappointment, her brother was out of it again by the time she got back), Lia had answered the door, somewhat more awake than she had been the last.

The girls had sat down and talked. About what had happened, about why it was happening, about what they were going to do. Surprisingly, Lia had been all for storming the Chancellor's office and demanding he let them rip the Spirit Gates open so that they could take Syrus back from the Beasts. After convincing her that that course of action would not bode well for them, Lia and Alexis had settled down to simply lying on the floor, occasionally making some mundane comment that neither really cared about.

Once she was in class, Lia threw herself into her schoolwork. Every paper had to be rewritten three times; each note taken had to be pristine and colour coded; every letter on her tests had to be perfectly formed; every formula solved right down the last digit. She poured herself into her tests and quizzes and reports and projects, as if hoping they could shield her from the reality of the situation. She retreated back behind the books she'd been dragged out from, and it was another worry on Jaden's shoulders.

But oddly enough, it wasn't Jaden that found Lia in one of her more desperate moments.

" _What are you doing?"_

_Lia jumped up with a yelp, falling over her heels and tumbling in a heap by a pair of feet encased in expensive, brown shoes. Looking up, (and blowing some hair out of her eyes so she could see), she blinked at the sun cast the figure's face into shadow._

" _Are you deaf as well as ugly?" A familiar voice snapped. Lia squinted._

" _Chazz?"_

" _Who else?" He held out a hand. She stared at it, unsure of what to do. " Well, are you gonna take it, or do you wanna lie on the ground all day?"_

_Narrowing her eyes, Lia sat up, knocking the hand away._

" _What do you want, Chazz?" She rolled her eyes. " Can't you see I'm busy?"_

" _Doing what? Looked to me like you staring off into space."_

_Lia glared up at him._

" _If you must know, I was praying!" She snapped. " I was asking God to help keep Syrus safe until we can get to him!"_

_She looked away from him, refusing to meet his eyes._

" _You're religious?"_

" _Well, no…" Lia admitted. " I mean, I'm Catholic, but I wasn't really…it was never a big thing in my house…"_

" _So how come you start praying for the midget now?" Chazz leaned on the tree next to her. Lia shot him a look through her bangs._

" _I'm not telling __**you**__."_

_Chazz huffed._

" _Whatever, fine." He pushed off the tree. " The Slacker and company asked me to find you." He started off down the path. After a moment's hesitation, Lia followed after him._

" _What you just saw?" Lia said when she'd caught up to him. Chazz looked at her with a vacant expression. " That stays between us, got it?"_

" _Pfft. Like I really care about what you do, French Bitch."_

" _Stupid egotist."_

There had been something of an understanding between the two since then. There was a sense that they'd reached an agreement, and though their barbs and jibes continued, there was an under current of something that could've been camaraderie, if they had been talking about anyone but Lia and Chazz.

And then, of course, came Tanya.

**_**

" She wants to _what_?!" Lia shrieked. Around her, the others who had accompanied Professor Banner out into the woods to look for the latest batch of missing students (they vanished like hotcakes at Duel Academy) covered their ears and winced. Down in the ring, Tanya looked up at the scrawny brunette who had issued the cry.

" I want to marry him." Tanya said slowly, wondering if the girl was slow in the head, especially when she started to sputter. " There are no men in my tribe, honey, so when I see the one I want, I have to go for it."

" Well, doesn't _he_," Lia pointed at Bastian, " get a choice in this?!"

" What do you mean?" The Amazon blinked.

" What if he doesn't _want_ to marry you?!" Lia's voice was so shrill that Jaden had to clap his hands over his ears again to keep his eardrums in tact. Wincing, he regretted his choice to sit next to her.

It honestly hadn't seemed like such a bad idea at the time. They'd all been depressed about Syrus for the past two weeks, and what with both Jaden and Lia retreating into their respective shells, a day out in the fresh air seemed like a good idea. Given, it was searching for a group of missing student, but it was in the open, under a canopy of trees, with bird singing and animals flitting about.

The sun had been high, and they'd been ready to set off on their hike into the woods, where the student's bag had been found, mysteriously abandoned. It had taken a bit of convincing on Jaden's part (he was cooped up in his room usually, everyday after school. Chumley had gone in and managed to make him see that coming outside as a better option than sitting in a dark room, staring at Syrus' empty bed.) Lia had been somewhat harder to make their case to. Unsurprisingly, Alexis had offered to go in a get her. Surprisingly, it had been Chazz who'd breezed past them all while they were decided what to say to get Lia to come.

A few seconds later Chazz had emerged from the door, hauling a protesting Lia by her wrist out the door, down the stairs and into the open air. Snapping something that the others couldn't hear when she tried to kick his legs out from under him, Lia had looked to the side, grumbled something dark in French, and had agreed, grudgingly to come.

Zane was still unreachable, having basically become a recluse over the fourteen days his brother had been missing. With Sheppard calling it an unfortunate, but necessary sacrifice, there was little to no hope of getting the portly man to agree to let them take the Sacred Beasts cards out of their container for even a second, let alone long enough to get Syrus back.

And besides, the last meeting between Lia and Zane had not ended particularly well.

_The hospital door opened with a whoosh and Lia stormed in._

_Her face was pale, and there was just a strange light glittering in her eyes. Her hair was unbound, falling over her shoulders in soft curls. She was wearing a loose pair of blue pajama pants and a high collared T-shirt to match, but her arms were completely bare and her mouth was set in a grim line._

_She let her strangely lit eyes scan over the occupants of the room (A surprised Jaden, an unconscious Atticus, a staring Alexis) until they fell on the silent Zane in the corner, who met her eyes with a guilt ridden gaze of his own._

_If Lia was moved by what she saw in those normally reserved eyes, she didn't let on. She looked into them for a second, then moved swiftly across the room to his bed. Leaning down she looked directly at his face, her gazing searching._

_They stared at each other for a moment, each taking the other in. Zane had never really acknowledged Lia aside from that night on the cove, where she'd hissed her vicious wish for Jaden to beat him, and that day on the cliff-side, where she'd made her threat. Lia had always made it a point of hers to ignore Zane's presence whenever he walked into the same room as her. She stared directly into his eyes, her own sparkling with something he recognized._

_Then she stood up, and slapped him across the face so hard that his shoulders and torso swung with his head._

_He blinked, and looked up at her._

_Lia stared down at him, her expression unreadable._

_Then she stalked out of the hospital._

So they weren't very eager to put Lia and Zane is close quarters anytime soon. No one was ready to make any guesses, but it could be assumed that Zane's emotional state (terrible as it already was) would only be worsened by the explosion Lia had in mind.

All in all, even without Zane there to be cheered up as well, they had a pleasant time of it.

And then the Shadow Rider had appeared, and wanted a duel.

And the man she dueled would have to be her husband.

And she'd chosen Bastian.

Lia had been irritated when she showed up.

She'd been rather upset with the stakes of the duel.

But watching her crush marry another woman?

That hadn't gone over too well. The stress of Syrus, the Shadow Riders, and now the possible nuptials had finally worn her down to the point where she had to release some tension, or she would probably spontaneously combust.

Unfortunately, the only method she had for releasing that tension was making her look like a fool.

Tanya looked at the red-faced girl, trying to discern the reason behind her outbursts. She was breathing rather hard, and her face wasn't just red from her shouting, and she kept shooting worried looks at Bastian. Her mouth formed a little 'o' shape as she realized what must have been going on.

" He isn't your husband already, is he?" She called out. The brunette's face froze, went pale, and then beet red. Tanya clapped to herself, proud that she'd figured out the problem.

" Well, if he is, that's fine. We could share him." Tanya shot Bastian a sultry look, which made his face blaze. " I sure he wouldn't mind having two pretty wives."

" I'm not…we're not…I…" Lia sputtered, trying to make the messy jumble of words into a coherent sentence.

" I mean, all we'd have to do is adopt you into the tribe." Tanya shrugged. " What kind of deck do you prefer to use? We'd have to put you into one of the elemental sects."

" I don't duel!" Lia managed to spit out, glaring with pure venom at the older woman. Tanya blinked in surprise. " I'm an Academic!"

" What does _that_ mean?"

" I got in on my _brains_!"

" Oh!" Tanya looked delighted. " A tactician then! That's good, we could use a few more of those in the tribe. I mean, nothing against my sisters, but what good's an army if you have no strategies?" She shot Lia a pleading look. " So whaddya say, can we both marry him?"

" I'm _fourteen_!" Lia snapped, her cheeks turning an interesting mix of crimson red and dark purple. Tanya gave another shrug.

" The younger you become an Amazon, the better. There's a lot to learn, honey."

" I…but…we…how can…"

" Leave Lia out of this." Bastian said with as must composure as a man who had two girls arguing over him could muster. " She has nothing to do with this duel."

" Now Bastian," Tanya scolded, " it's rude to simply bring home another wife without even discussing the subject with your old one."

" _I'm not_-"

" Lia is not my wife." Bastian said calmly.

" Oh, so you two haven't tied the knot yet. That's fine! It can be a double wedding then!"

" _Would you just listen for one seco_-"

" There is nothing between me and Lia but purely platonic friendship at the moment." Bastian said coolly, sliding his deck into his duel disk. " So if you will stop tormenting my friend and focus on our duel, I would be quite pleased."

" You got it babe!" Tanya grinned at him as she slid her own deck into place. " Oh, and sweetie?" She chirped at Lia, who looked ready to explode, " Sticking up for your friends is really admirable, but you should really learn when not to stick your nose into other people's business, okay?"

Lia stood stock still for an instant, and then the storm clouds that had been gathering since she'd met Tanya finally broke.

" _Je vous tuerai_!" She surged forward, ten kinds of murder on her face, but Jaden, Alexis, and Chumley all leapt up and hauled her down into a seat, pushing on her middle as she struggled to get back up.

" Get off! Let go! I said let go, you assholes! Off!"

" Nothing to see here, guys!" Alexis sweat dropped as she held Lia down. " Just-Just gone with your duel!"

" Let's take the lady's advice, shall we?" Tanya almost purred. " I'm sure your _friend_ will be just fine."

" I hope so." Bastian shot a worried look at the stands where Lia had settled down, crossed her arms and legs, was seemed content to glare daggers at Tanya for the time being.

" Alright then." Bastian turned to face his opponent. " Let's duel!"

**_**

It went well, as far as any one of the spectators were concerned. Yes, Bastian had miscalculated about Tanya's Amazoness Swordswoman, and now she was back on the field, but it was still early in the game. Bastian did not seem overly upset about the one little mistake, and Jaden was quite sure that his British friend would pull through with flying colours. The only person who seemed on edge was Lia, who twitched angrily each time the busty Amazon made a pass at the genius.

" Talk about man crazy." Jaden muttered to himself after Tanya's latest attempt at flirting. " It's like she hasn't seen a guy in years."

" Tell me about it." Alexis agreed, pinching the bridge of her nose. " She's probably going after the first guy she sees, and that's Bastian."

" So she's just gonna kept hounding him?"

" Pretty much."

Both jumped back from their conversation, however, when the air around Lia leapt in temperature and her eyes narrowed in to deadly slits. Jaden laughed nervously and edged away, trying very hard not to notice that Lia seemed to be surrounded by fire.

" Stupid hussy." She hissed. " Kick her ass, Bastien!"

" Looks like you've got yourself a fan." Tanya purred, winking.

Up in the stands, the fire around Lia leapt dangerously.

" I know what you're trying to do." Bastian gave her a smirk. " You're trying to distract me. I commend you on your efforts, my dear – Lia's knuckles were white where she gripped her elbows – but it's doomed to failure. I'm far too focused."

" Oh?" The woman said casually, with a hint of an edge. " Let's put that theory to the test, shall we?" She drew a card. " I play the Amazoness Blow Piper!" A pretty, tanned girl in a green dress holding a strange looking flute jumped up and landed in a pose.

" Then I guess I'll play me face down card." Bastian smirked. " Magnetic Force Minus!"

Across the field, the pretty girl in green was suddenly crippled by chatter red currents of electricity.

" This card equips onto any one monster, and that monster becomes a minus monster, which is a monster with a negative magnetism, just like the one my Magnet Force Minus is giving your Blow Piper!"

Tanya looked over at her monster, who was held completely still in the grip of the red lightning.

" And just what does this magnetism do?"

Bastian smirked at her.

" I'm glad you asked that, dear – " Quit flirting you idiot!" Lia shouted at him. " Hurry up and beat her!" – Your remember how my monster is a plus monster?" Tanya nodded. " Well, I'm afraid our monsters are going to be drawn into battle, no matter what we want. Their opposite charges will force them to."

" Just like our opposite personalities are forcing us together?" Tanya cooed.

" I thought I told you that wasn't going to work." Bastian said distractedly, glancing up at the stands where Lia had degenerated down into French.

" I think she might have stubbed her toe, or something." Tanya said unsympathetically. " Poor dear."

" Do you think she's alright?" Bastian said, eyeing the fire around Lia nervously.

" You should really pay less attention to your friends, and more on this duel, because I play Amazoness Spellcaster!"

Bastian whipped back around, Lia's odd behaviour the farthest thing from his mind.

**_**

Lia sat stunned, as Bastian confessed his love to the pretty Amazon across the field. Maybe it was the stress of the duel, or maybe it was the fear that she was never going to see Syrus again, or maybe it was just the fact that Lia's heart had given a tiny, shuddering gasp, and then broken into tiny pieces. Or maybe it was all those things combined. Whatever it was, it must have been rather hard on her.

Because Lia gave Bastian one betrayed look, and then fainted dead away.

As the others scrambled to catch her (okay, Chazz was laughing), Jaden looked over to see if Bastian had noticed the commotion going on just behind him.

The boy hadn't even looked up.

* * *

Hey everybody! How goes it? I have survived my first week of university! Congratulate me! I'm officially a university student. And this is my first weekend home. It feels so weird, but I think I'll get used to it. My classes are all awesome, and I think I'm gonna have a lot of fun this year.

And here, ladies and gentlemen, is my take on the Tayna episodes. Because I know you've all been waiting paitiently to finally see Lia crack like an egg. And here she is, in all her jealous glory. And while she may seem a little out of character, try and think about where this episode is placed in terms of my story. Syrus has just been taken, Lia is stressed out, and Bastian, her crush, is going gaga over some busty, duelist chick who came right outta nowhere. This is the only stress relief she has.

How about some translations?

Je vous tuerai! - I'll kill you.

I think that's about it, don't you? Well, see you all next week for a little introspective into Lia's character and her crush on the oblivious Bastian.

MoS


	39. The LoveStruck

Warnings: A little Lia angst, but I think that's all really. And a reminder about why we even needed a comic relief chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" This is ridiculous!" Alexis snapped, pacing the length of the room. " One little duel, and he's completely gaga over her!"

" Well, what can we do about it?" Jaden sighed from where he was leaning over the chair.

" I recommend smacking him until we've beaten the stupid outta him."

Both Jaden and Alexis turned to glare at Chazz.

" Somehow, I doubt violence is gonna help." Alexis shook her head.

" It might work if we let Lia at him." Chumley offered. Alexis whipped around, her eyes blazing.

" And don't even get me started on what he did to Lia! That bastard! Leading her on like that and then dropping her like an old deck!"

" Well, you have to see where he's coming from." Chazz shrugged. " I mean, at least that Shadow Rider's _got_ curves."

A book came flying out of thin air and whacked right into the back of Chazz's head. The boy flailed his arms about a bit, trying to keep up right, but it was not to be. He went careening down, face first, to the floor. From the doorway, Lia glared at his upturned form.

" Like I give a flying fuck about what you think of me." She sniffed, and walked over to where Alexis and Jaden were eyeing her warily. She made a point of stepping on the boy on the floor.

" Ow! Fushk!" Came the muffled curse.

" Someone should tell Sheppard his carpets have started talking." Lia said icily.

" You okay?" Alexis asked when the other girl sat down beside her. She placed a long arm around Lia.

" Oh, fantastique." Lia rolled her eyes. " Except for the part where I got my heart ripped out!"

There was a stunned silence.

" That sounds messy." Jaden broke the silence. Lia shot him a furious look.

" Not helping here, Jaden." Alexis snapped at him.

" Oh god…" Lia moaned, dropping her head in her hands. " I'm such an idiot!"

Chazz pulled himself into a sitting position.

" At least you can admit to it." He said sagely. Lia kicked him. " OW! That was a _compliment_ you bitch!"

" Sounded like an insult to me." Lia muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

" Everything I say sounds like an insult to you!"

" That's because it usually is!"

" It's not _my_ fault you get on my nerves!"

" And it's not _my_ fault you can't control your temper!"

" Yeah, well it's not like you have yours on a leash!"

" Oh, shut up!" Lia looked away, conceding defeat. "I would've thought that you of all people would understand what I'm going through!"

" Why would _I_ empathize with _you_?!"

Lia pointed at Alexis with her head. Chazz went bright red.

" Shut up!"

" Make me!"

Jaden looked back and forth between the two, pouting in confusion.

" What are you guys talking about?"

" Are you freaking kidding me?" Chazz rubbed his temples.

" No." Jaden shook his head. " What are you guys talking about?"

" I…Jaden…don't you _know_?" Alexis said in shock, staring at him.

" If I did, I wouldn't be asking!" Jaden huffed.

" She likes Bastian!" Chazz snapped. Jaden blinked.

" Big deal." He shrugged. " I like Bastian too."

" But I'm guessing you don't want to _kiss him_, do you?" Chazz said slowly, carefully enunciating each word. Jaden took a second to process exactly what it was the older boy was saying. Abruptly, his eyes went very wide. He turned around to look at Lia, who peeked at him from behind her hands.

" You want to _kiss_ Bastian?" He asked in wonder. Lia went very red, and Jaden took that as his answer.

" Oh, _gross_!" He spat. " Does this mean I'll start walking in on you guys swapping spit now?"

Lia gave him a furious look.

" No! He's too busy moping over that Amazon to even notice me!" Lia stomped her foot, before looking away to the side. " Not like he paid much attention before."

She walked towards the door, her head hung low. It took Jaden another few seconds to grasp at what she was saying, and when he did, an embarrassed blush lit his cheeks. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Alexis stilled him with a firm hand on his shoulder. Shaking her head, Alexis looked over as Lia's dejected form slunk out the door.

" I'll just…I'm gonna go back to bed." A very tired voice came from Lia's mouth. " See you all later."

" She needs to be alone right now." Alexis said sadly. " She needs to sort this out for herself."

" How come Bastian doesn't like her back?" Jaden said childishly.

" I don't know. Maybe she's not his type."

" With that figure, she's nobody's type." Chazz flinched when Alexis leveled him with a glare.

" It's comments like that that are making her depressed." The blonde snapped.

" Look, she'd gonna be hearing stuff like that her whole life." Chazz sniffed, staring at the opposite wall. " She might as well get used to it."

" You're horrible." Alexis sighed, looking away from him. " Lia is a great girl, but we can't force Bastian to like her."

" Tanya forced Bastian to like _her_." Jaden argued.

" Yes, but Tanya is one of the bad guys." Chumley spoke up. " And I don't Lia's that mean."

" Bastian should like her back. It's only fair." Jaden mumbled.

" Love is something that's given freely, not earned or taken." Alexis sighed. " There's nothing we can do about it."

" I don't have to like it." Jaden said.

" No, but grumbling won't change it. So let's focus on something we can change."

The room went very still.

" Syrus." Jaden breathed. " I had an idea. It's a long shot, but…"

**_**

It wasn't, as far as Lia was concerned, fair.

After all, hadn't she liked him far longer? Hadn't she been the one who'd been there during all the hard bits? Hadn't she been the one he always offered to help?

In her heart, Lia knew none of those things really meant much. They were things any decent person would do for a friend, but she had let herself read far too much into every little action, and tried to trick herself into believing that there was something between them when there really wasn't.

It had been so easy. She'd arrived on the island with the sturdy intention of focusing on her studies and ignoring any and all boys (a painful preteen enamorment had taught her to be wary of the opposite sex). And, for the first few hours, it had gone well. She gotten her room assignment, moved in, scoped out the island with her camera and managed to successfully evade all human contact (save for the figures who were in the photos she snapped. A picture never quite seemed right unless there was a human element in it).

And then had come the welcome dinner.

It had started out easily enough. She'd gathered with the rest of her dorm mates in the cafeteria, choosing to situate herself in an unoccupied corner near the window, where no one would pay any much attention to her. She'd zoned in and out as their dorm advisor (he was rather hard to understand through his accent) went over the basics (rules, code of conduct, how they represented Ra Yellow, and the general welcome to the school that Lia could care less about).

About midway through the speech, she'd heard a rustle of clothing beside her, and turned to see a boy in a Ra Yellow jacket sneaking in quietly, his face focused on not getting caught. As he caught sight of her staring at him, he'd given her a sheepish grin, and sidled up next to her, bending to whisper lowly in her ear.

" I got caught up with a few equations. If anyone asks, I've been beside you the whole time, alright?"

Lia had merely shrugged, edging away from him. The minute the formalities had been dispensed, she'd headed for the buffet table, leaving the boy behind in her brisk walking.

Until he had sat down next to her at the table.

" I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Bastian. Bastian Misawa." He'd held out his hand.

" Ottilia Shanner." Lia had said breezily. " And I'd appreciated it if-"

" A pleasure." Bastian had kissed her hand. Lia had frozen, her cheeks red. She yanked her hand back.

" Diable?" She snapped. Bastian had looked at her, confused.

" What?"

" Just…Just warn me before you do something like that!" She growled at him, glaring at him through a curtain of brown curls. Bastian had blinked once, incredulous, before he'd broken off into as bout of hearty laughter. Lia, feeling insulted, had marched away.

Only he'd found her again, the next day, and apologized.

And then the next day, to talk.

And so on until Lia began to wonder what his problem was. Maybe it was a testament to her poor social interaction, but she lumped the boy in with a hopeful Jaden, wondering why they each seemed so intent to spend time with her. After a while, it settled down to the fact that each of the boys thought she was lonely, and each wanted to change that, in his own way. And while it was annoying (interfered with her studying, ate into her homework time, took away from her photography), it was also a bit flattering.

Lia couldn't remember the last time anyone had been so determined to spend time with her. It gave her a warm glow (even warmer, even brighter, now) to think about all the attention she was getting.

The glow was even rosier when she thought about all the attention she was getting from Bastian.

She wasn't exactly sure when the fluttery feeling in her stomach had started to pop up around him, but one day he had smiled at her as she was walking to her room, and she'd smiled back, and then her heart had done something odd. It had started pounding, and her cheeks had flamed, and her stomach had dropped out from under her. She'd wondered if she was sick or something.

To her utter horror, the condition only seemed to pop up when Bastian was around, and, recalling her nightmarish experience with love, she'd sought to put an end to it.

Really, it was all very silly. She would've had more success simply waiting it out and sleeping soundly on it. But Lia was Lia, and the French in her made her stubborn, and she'd set out to make the feelings disappear or else bury them so deep within herself that they'd never see the light of day again.

Obviously, she'd failed on both accounts. It was just too hard. Her stomach fluttered whenever he smiled at her despite her protests. Her heart thundered even though she desperately tried to calm it. Her cheeks warmed in spite of her best attempts to stop them. It seemed as though the Universe was intent on making her moon and mope over Bastian Misawa, and Lia, after months of surprises and duels and letting her walls drop down father than she'd ever had them before, was simply too tired to fight any longer. By the time Bastian had been given his Spirit Gate key to guard, Lia had begun to even toy with the idea of _telling_ him about her fluttery stomach and her racing heart and her red cheeks. After all, he seemed so much nicer, so much kinder than other boys she'd encountered. And he went out of his way to spend time with her, so maybe…

" You were deluding yourself, chérie." Lia hissed as she stalked down the hallway. " There was never anything there. You just read things into it. You're an idiot."

" Of course I am!"

Lia whirled around, shrieking. She, unusually, had nothing in her hands, and the toss she had just thrown (out of pure instinct), threw nothing but empty air at the space behind her. Still spinning, she tripped over her own moving feet and fell, splayed, on the hard ground below. Bastian, letting his head fall dramatically into his hands, kept on walking by, not even taking not of her situation.

" I'm a fool! A blunderer! A pathetic sham!" He continued, still walking down the hall. Lia sat up, grumbling.

" Thanks for the help, Bastien."

" I'm all those things and more, but I don't _care_!" He swung around, looking right at her. Actually, as far as she could tell, right _through_ her. " I'm in _love_!"

" Okay! We get it!" She snapped, leaping to her feet. Her chest ached oddly and she felt her eyes start to water. She blinked fiercely. Bastian blinked, staring at her as if he had just realized she was in the hall with him. Given the way he was acting, it wouldn't have surprise Lia if that was what was happening.

" Oh, hello Lia. I didn't see you there." She face faulted.

" You scared the living shit out of me, and then you didn't even help me up." She growled, but Bastian waved it away, sighing blissfully.

" You can't expect me to take notice of such mundane things in my state."

" I supposed I can't expect any common courtesy from you either?" Lia eyed him darkly.

" Now dear, that's a bit harsh." Bastian gave her a wounded look. " I'll admit, my manners may be suffering from my rather preoccupied state of mind, but that's no reason to attack me."

" I fell over and you didn't even offer to help me up!" Lia tossed her head and marched past him, staring straight ahead. " I think I have grounds to attack you!"

" You're being a trifle unreasonable." Bastian called as he followed after her at a much slower pace. Lia whipped around to look at him, her face dark with womanly rage. Her heart gave a painful thud in her chest, and all she could think about was the way Bastian had looked at Tanya the day before, completely enraptured, and how he was never going to look at her like that, so why should she bother being nice to him?

" I'm unreasonable? _I'm_ unreasonable?!" Her voice rose in pitch. " _You're_ the one…walking around, moping because of a girl!"

" Ah, Lia, you are but young." Bastian patted her shoulder.

" I'm only a year younger than you!" She pulled away from him.

" A year is an eternity to the heart." Bastian quipped.

" What are you going on about?" Lia growled at him. Bastian gave her another friendly pat on the shoulder, quite ignoring the way she stepped back and out of his reach.

" You are so very young." Lia ground her teeth. " You've never experienced the raw passion I felt yesterday, when Tanya and I danced that dangerous dance with our monsters."

" All you did was play a card game." Lia grumbled. " I don't fall for ever guy I've ever played poker with."

" This is different. You can't be expected to understand. Having never been in love-"

" Hey!" Lia cut in, poking the boy in the chest. " I've had a few crushes on boys! I wouldn't exactly call it love, but…I know what it feels like! And I know what it feels like to not have those feelings returned!"

" So, you're in love with someone?" Bastian leaned forward. Despite her anger, her cheeks warmed, and Lia pulled back, trying to hold onto her fury.

" W-Well, I wouldn't call it love…I'm too young to be in love…I like…this guy…a lot though…"

" So you _do_ understand!" Bastian clapped his hands excitedly. " I'm so happy you too are experiencing the exhilarance of being in love!"

" Exhilarating is hardly the word I would use…" Lia trailed off, but then she could speak no more.

Bastian wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug, squeezing her. Lia's heart skipped a beat in her chest.

' _He's_ _warm_.' Lia observed, leaning into his embrace. ' _He's warm and I'm only setting myself up for more heartbreak_.' She tried vainly to re-grasp her previous fury. She failed splendidly when Bastian rubbed his cheek up against hers and she forgot how to breathe.

" So who's the lucky man?"

Lia froze.

" Come on, you can tell me. I won't judge you for it, I promise."

" I-I can't." Lia stuttered, trying to look anywhere but his bright, curious eyes.

" Come on, who is it?"

" I, well…I…"

" Is it Jaden?"

" No!"

" What about Syrus?"

" Never!"

" Chumley then?"

" Quit asking, I'm not gonna tell you."

" It's not Zane is it?"

Lia leveled him with a deadly look.

" And it's not Chazz?"

" I hate Chazz!"

" Yes, but you two have this tension-"

" It's called hate."

" Hate is a rather loose term, dear. Like how I hated my Tanya at the start of the duel, but by the end of it…"

" You really want to know?" Lia asked suddenly. It might've been his eagerness, or it might have been the last of her courage surging up, or it might have been a last ditch attempt to purge the feelings from her gut by having him reject her. When asked about it later, Lia would simply shrug and say she didn't know why. But, privately, she believed it might have been doing it to see if there was even the possibility of getting Bastian to look at her the way he looked at Tanya.

" Of course."

" Well…it's, ah…I…" She stumbled. " This is sorta hard…"

" Words of love usually are." Bastian nodded sagely.

" I'm kinda afraid he won't feel the same."

" It's a risk we all take."

" Well..it's…it's…Bastien, the guy I like is-"

" Bastian!"

Jaden came running up, waving his hand frantically.

And Lia slunk away again, her courage gone.

**_**

Extra:

" So, you're okay now?" Lia asked the boy sitting next to her. With an embarrassed smile, Bastian nodded.

" Yes, completely cured."

" Oh, okay then." Lia looked away. " I'm glad, you were starting to freak me out."

" Truth be told, I think I was frightening myself."

" Oh?"

" I've never behaved so irrationally in my life. It's a bit embarrassing."

" Well, we all understand."

" Yes." A pause. " Well, we'd better get going. Jaden says he has a plan about Syrus, and I want to hear it."

" Yeah." She stood up next to him, and started walking towards the Slifer dorm. " Oh wait." She stopped. " I just remembered."

Bastian turned around to ask her what was wrong, and a book collided with his head.

" That's for not helping me up in the hallway, jerk!"

And Lia stormed past a very confused Bastian, who sat, rubbing his sore head, in the dirt.

* * *

Hey guys, sorry about last night. I was having a movie fest with some friends and forgot about this chapter. Sorry. But it's here now, so that makes everything okay, right?

Well, here we have the conclusion of Tanya, who will probably still make her cameo in Year Three, and the reasoning behind Lia's liking of Bastian. The poor girl. She'll react to any kind of affection, won't she? And yet, at the same time, she's closed off and distant. Yay for contradictory characteristics!

And did anyone catch the meaning behind Chazz's words? I'll give you a hint: He's not as much of a dick as he's making himself out to be.

And yes, that line about Lia and Chazz is on purpose. I wanted to address the weird tension that seems to just appear when they start...'talking'. (because really, can you call their form of communication - " Hey asshole!" " What do you want, you stupid French Slut?" " Go die in a hole Princeton!"- _talking_?)

I think that's about all. See you next week!

MoS


	40. The Ruse

Warnings: Lia being Lia, and Jaden being...well, _Jaden_, but with a bit of a twist.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" So there's a plan now?"

" There's the beginnings of one."

" Is it a good plan?"

" …Good's…not _quite_ the word I would use to describe it."

" Well how would you describe it?"

" …"

" I don't like the sound of that."

" It's…daring."

" Daring has never been very good in my book."

" It's got guts."

" But no brains?"

" I wouldn't say that exactly…it's got a good base…given what we know, it should work."

" Chérie, I don't know how to tell you this, but we know shit! We know absolutely _nothing_!"

" That's not true! We know what Camulla told us-"

" Yes, yes, self-sacrifice, innocent, he'll be afforded some protection! Whoop-di-freakin-do!"

" –and we know that those Shadow Charms we've been collecting can help us."

" Just what are these charms again?"

" They're…pieces of jewelry imbued with the shadow powers."

" Doesn't that make them evil?"

" No, 'only if you use them for evil will they become evil'. That's what we were told."

" Who told you that?"

" That Shadow Rider from last night."

" There was _another_ one?"

" Yeah."

" Why didn't anyone tell me?"

" You were sound asleep. I tried your videophone five times, and you never picked up!"

" Well, I was doped up on sleeping pills! Of course I was out of it!"

" Why do you need so many sleeping pills anyway?"

" I've…been really stressed lately. I need something to help me sleep."

" Really?"

" Yeah. Lot of good it did me. I always end up missing the important things."

" It wasn't…really all that important."

" Oh? It sounds like you guys got some important information."

" Okay, yeah, that part was important. But the duel itself wasn't all that great."

" Why not?"

" Well, the guy Jaden was dueling-"

" How come it's always Jaden who duels?"

" He's just louder than the rest of us when it comes to being picked. He gets the Shadow Rider's attention by jumping up and down and acting like a kid."

" So you're saying they all duel him just to shut him up?"

" That's my theory. It doesn't work though. He always beats them."

" He must be the luckiest sonovabitch I've ever met."

" It's just that the Heart seems to really favour him."

" Oh, that thing again. You're saying it helped Jaden win last night?"

" Yeah."

" So why was the duel not important?"

" Oh, right. Got sidetracked there for a minute. Anyway, Jaden was dueling this guy called Abidos, who was supposed to be this dueling legend from way back when in Ancient Egypt."

" Everything always comes back to Ancient Egypt, doesn't it?"

" Seems to. Anyway, it turned out this guy was a fraud."

" How so?"

" The only reason he was undefeated was because all his subjects let him win."

" Ouch, that must have hurt his ego."

" Yeah, but Jaden talked him out of it, and they had this really great duel."

" Uh-huh, now what about the charm-thingies?"

" Well, Abidos gave Jaden another Shadow Charm, this headband thing. He said Jaden should use it to reclaim the soul of his lost friend."

" How did this guy know about Syrus?"

" Oh, he and Jaden got to talking about it during the duel. Jaden explained about the Illusion Gate, and Abidos said that maybe using a Shadow Charm would be able to help. But he didn't think one would be enough, so he gave Jaden another one to help him."

" Why would he do that?"

" He seemed to really admire Jaden. I think it's because Jay was the first person to go all out in a duel with Abidos, and the guy really appreciated it. He even asked Jaden to come with him."

" Lovely. Why does everyone seem to want to take Jaden away?"

" You're talking about the Admiral, right?"

" If you mean that freak in the sub with the megaphone who thought he was a pirate, then yes. Yes I am."

" Jaden's a great duelist, it's about time people started taking notice."

" But do they have to try and take him away?"

" It doesn't matter if they want to. Jaden won't leave. This is his home. And he's still got Syrus to save."

" So Jaden's gonna try and use these Shadow Charms to get Syrus back?"

" Something like that. Now the he had two, he's really confident that his plan will work."

" Yeah, about the plan, let me rephrase my earlier question."

" How so?"

" Instead of 'is it a good plan', let me ask ' will it work?'."

" That's…something I don't know."

" If it's so much of a risk, why are we doing it then?"

" It's the only idea we've got, and if there's even a slim chance we can get Syrus back, we have to go for it, right?"

" I want to say wrong. I want to say we should think this through more, and get more information before we try something like this. The danger is _incredible_, and I've never felt more unprepared in my life."

" But?"

" But every second we wait is another second Syrus has to spend in that terrible place with those hungry monsters. And God only knows that he would take the same risk if it was one of us, and we should extend the same courtesy for him. So whatever you need me to do, consider it done."

" Really?"

" Really. …You know, a year ago, I wouldn't have been caught dead doing something like this. I would've gotten out of here before you could blink. And now look at me. I'm risking my life and my education for a blue haired midget with an inferiority complex. I can't tell if you guys are the worst influences I've ever met or the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Lia gave a long-suffering sigh. Then she turned to look right at the smiling Alexis, her face set and her eyes like steel.

" Let's go get our friend back." Alexis said, looping an arm through Lia's. Lia gave the foreign limb an unsure look, then tightened her grasp on it and let Alexis lead her towards the library.

**_**

Jaden was having a very stressful day.

It started when he overslept, and then woke up in a flurry of movement that had him tumbling out of bed and falling onto the floor in a heap, totally entangled in his sheets. He tried for five minutes to get up, repeatedly falling over and cursing as he did so. And then he finally managed to kick off the sheets and hurry to get dressed. In fact, he had his pants on (but not buttoned) and one arm through his red jacket before he remembered it was Saturday.

And then he remembered that Duel Academy did not have school on Saturday, half day or not, because Duel Academy followed Western school weeks, and Western children, apparently, did not go to school on Saturday, and had two full days off, the lucky bastards. (They also started in September, and when he'd first asked about Golden Week, everyone had given him weird looks.)

So Jaden had sat back down on his bed, too tired to really move, but too awake to go back to sleep, and just stared up at the ceiling, listening to Chumley's snores (who, amazingly, hadn't woken up _once_ during Jaden's little episode), and wish he could wake Syrus up so he could have someone to talk to.

But the bunk directly above his was empty, and had been empty for going on four weeks now. An entire month (almost) of no Syrus was leaving everyone in the depths of depression. Chumley was unusually quiet; Alexis spent every second of her spare time at her brother's side, frightened that he too might disappear into the blackness (she had reason to worry, but the accident with Syrus only had her more paranoid); Bastian spent hours in his room, trying to come up with a way to get the boy back; Lia was throwing herself into her school work with unpresidented zeal, as if hoping that if she exhausted herself mentally each day, there would be no room in her mind for nightmares about Syrus (and she had them, she'd confessed to Jaden. Haunting visions of Syrus alone in a great dark void, his sobbing pleas drowned out by earth-shaking roars); Zane was nowhere to be found. If he wasn't in his classes (alone, in the back, not making eye contact with anyone), then he was in his room, with the door locked, lying on his bed and wallowing in self-hate. If his grades were suffering, he didn't seem to care; if he was somehow letting the Obelisk Blues down, he could care less. Of course, no Blue dared to suggest that Zane was wasting his time moping over a Slifer. Only one had made the mistake of saying something like that within hearing range of both Jaden and Chazz at the same time.

It hadn't been pretty. The results of the fight had been a roughed up Jaden, a heavy bruise on Chazz's face that didn't seem to bother him, and a snobby Obelisk in the hospital out cold with a broken nose. No one was quite sure who, of the two Slifers, had thrown the first punch when they overheard what the Blue was saying, but the message was clear: Nobody says _anything_ negative about Syrus Trusedale unless you want your face to match your jacket.

Sheppard had had a firm discussion with the two boys, explaining how if they wanted to settle something, they did it with a duel. When Jaden had pointed out that the Academics would never be able to sort out their problems that way, Sheppard had blushed, and then stated that the Academics seemed to be less hot tempered than the Duelists. Jaden had been about to argue (he'd hung around a certain Academic with a temper), when Chazz had interrupted.

" _None of this would have happened in the first place if you would just let us get Syrus back!"_

It was the first time he'd ever addressed Syrus by his name, and it was the first time Jaden began to wonder if they weren't getting through to Chazz. He might complain day in and day out about his new living arrangements, and he might shout from the rooftops how much he hated his fellow Slifers, but it lacked the animosity and sheer intensity of earlier months. The deranged, furious look that had been in Chazz's eyes that night at the abandoned dorm had mellowed out to a bearable glare, and the look on his face as he'd spat those words at the Chancellor had Jaden wondering just how much Chazz actually wanted the smaller boy back.

And then the first stirrings of a plan had started.

He remembered what Zane said Camulla had told him. Syrus had given his soul freely in place of his brother's. Syrus had sacrificed himself. The Shadows couldn't touch him, at least not for a while. He was protected by the fact that he had gone in Zane's place. Love was a powerful thing, Zane had said. It was possible Syrus might survive long enough for them to get to him.

But in order to get him back, Syrus had to be won. In a duel. And that meant releasing the Sacred Beasts from their cage. And _that_ meant the end of the world, no ands, ifs or buts about it. Despite himself, and despite what everyone was telling him, and despite that his heart ached to get his best friend back, Jaden was starting to see why Sheppard was calling it a tragic, but necessary sacrifice.

But then again, he was Jaden Yuki, and there was no such thing as a necessary sacrifice to him.

So, with that thought (more of a mantra; more of a creed; more of a way of life; goddamnit, he was getting his friend back!) in mind, Jaden had sat himself down in his room, told Chumley to see if he could room with Bastian (from what he'd heard, the large boy hadn't given the genius much choice in the matter), and gone over every hint, every clue, every piece of information they had on the Sacred Beasts, on the Shadow Games, and most importantly, every little detail he could dreg up on the computer about retrieving a lost soul.

It wasn't until he'd fallen asleep that an idea had come to him.

He'd been dreaming. He didn't dream very often; or if he did, always forgot it.

So he remembered this one.

There was darkness, a great, stretching darkness that ate up the entire landscape around it, clawing over it all until all that was left was this stinging black void. And there was a landscape to be devoured. Green hills that rolled out, and a gleaming lake that was swallowed up in an instant.

He took a step back, staring in horror as the blackness slid up to his feet, curling around the stone where he stood. But it didn't touch him, it slunk around his feet, going around where in he stood in a small oval, giving him enough berth to step back and forward, tapping lightly at the inky black that ran by him like water.

It rippled out where he touched it, spiraling circles emanating from where his toe had touched it. And then it was black water, rushing up to meet him, splashing against his legs and rushing back and forth, as though dragged by a vicious tide. He looked up, confused, and above him a great blue moon hung, dragging the water back and pushing it forward again, until great waves rose and fell, crashing against the rocky shore he was standing on.

And then the moon was Syrus, being washed away out to sea, screaming and pleading, his hand outstretched and his eyes wide with terror. And the crash of the waves became monstrous roars, breaking over the eerie silence with trembling force that nearly shook his legs out from under him. He fell to his hands and knees, submerged up to his elbows in the black water (was it water, it felt too thick, too full, too alive and burning and hot to be water), staining his red jacket to ebony.

And the water seeped up higher and higher, hardening and molding to his arms, glinting like obsidian in the golden light that was shining overhead. He looked up again, and saw that he was in the abandoned dorm, his flashlight casting a singular beam of light out into the dark hallway. In front of him was the mural of the Millenium Items, glowing a blazing gold in the darkness.

"_It feels safe_." His own voice echoed out in the emptiness, and he reached his fingers up to touch the glowing eye of the Millenium Puzzle.

And then it was the medallion he'd own from the Gravekeeper Chief, huge and spinning, staring back at him as he was bathed in its glow. He took a step back, almost blinded by the intensity of the heat and radiance coming off of the enlarged medallion, which had begun to spin. As he watched, the piece of gold spun faster and faster until it was a blur, the intricate carvings all whipped together, and all he could see was the great eye in the center, staring down at him. It began to rise, still glowing.

" _May it serve you in times of need."_ The Chief's voice echoed as the medallion rose to the sky.

And then it was a blinding sun, blazing out over an empty desert, the sand whipped into the sky by an unforgiving wind.

And Jaden sat up, panting, his hand clasping at the glowing medallion on his chest.

He'd sat there for a minutes, just staring at the wall across from him without really seeing it, trying to make sense of the jumbled thoughts that were fluttering about in his head like startled birds. There had been water, and a moon, and then the moon had been Syrus, and the darkness had been the ocean, but in the ocean was the Sacred Beasts and-

He stopped, clutching his head, trying to sort out the sequence of the images that kept assaulting him.

What stood out the most was the medallion, which lay still against his chest, quiet and dark, to match the sleeping room.

And Jaden had gotten his idea.

It had taken a bit of planning, and an almost sleepless night to figure out how he was going to get to pull it off, but with a few ideas and input from his friends, he was sure that, even if it didn't work, he had given it his best shot. (And his best shot or not, if it didn't work…well, he would find a way to _make_ it work.)

So it was with a barely contained whoop of delight that he had accepted the Shadow Charm that Abidos had pressed into his hands the night before.

" _It's not much." The Pharaoh said, smiling. " But it might help you in your quest."_

" _Thank you." Jaden bowed deeply at the waist. " I…thanks."_

"_I hope it helps." Abidos placed a hand on his shoulder. " You will have to be very brave if you are to face those Beasts."_

" _I know." Jaden lowered his eyes. " But I have to. If I don't, Syrus will be…I'll never see him again. And we've already wasted so much time…"_

_The hand on his shoulder gave a squeeze._

" _If he has half the courage and strength that you do, the Beasts will have a hard time devouring his soul." _

_Jaden looked up at the smiling Abidos._

" _What Camulla told his brother is true. The Shadows will not be able to touch him, because his was a soul given freely. Love is not something they understand. And it will protect him."_

So it was with a fairly confident heart that Jaden walked into the library that Saturday afternoon.

In it, to his relief, was everyone. Lia and Alexis had managed to snag an empty table, each sitting on her own chair, bent over a book whose title Jaden recognized (he'd borrowed it out himself not too long ago) to be _Shadow Games – A Complete History_. At the other table sat Chazz, who was occasionally shooting hopeful glances over at the two (alright, he was looking at Alexis. But every time he caught Lia's eye, she glared at him. And then he glared back. And that would start off a glaring contest until Alexis reached up and yanked Lia's head back down so that the Ra was looking at the book, instead of trying to out glare the sulky Slifer).

Across the room was Bastian, who had logged into the computers was typing rapidly, half of the computer screen showing a darkly lit, somber looking website, while the other was a word document, covered with hastily typed notes in separate columns. Beside him lay an open notebook and a mechanical pencil, which he would pick up ever so often and use to make a calculation in the aforementioned notebook.

Chumley was sitting in one of the chairs by the window, staring out at the cloudy sky and sighing ever so often, muttering under his breath so no one would here. The food he'd brought with him (a grilled cheese sandwich; no one was surprised) lay cooling on a plastic plate, untouched.

And finally, in the corner, looking haggard and worn and distinctly like he hadn't slept in weeks, was Zane, his arms crossed and his eyes downcast, staring at the floor. Jaden's heart went out to him.

He coughed to get their attention. He nearly jumped back when all the heads snapped up, staring unblinkingly at him. He cleared his throat again.

" Okay, here's what's going down." He leaned forward on the table at the front of the room. " I don't care who we have to go through, or how much trouble we get in."

He took a deep breath to try and calm his thundering heart. Across the room, Alexis was nodding along with every word he was saying. Chumley had steeled his features and Chazz had a rather determined glint in his eyes. Bastian had looked up from the computer screen with a grim set to his jaw, and Lia was biting her lower lip, but met his eyes with a quick nod. Zane alone looked surprised, his eyes burning with a barely banked fever of hope. Jaden took another breath, and fixed them all with a confident smirk.

" Tonight, we're getting Syrus back."

* * *

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late upload, but I had some homework I had to do this weekend, and it took longer than expected.

Lia: You mean you slacked off until the last minute and had to rush to get it finished.

...Shut up, that's not what happened. I did some on Saturday and some on Sunday.

Lia: Yeah. In between fanfic binges.

Jaden: What's wrong with that?

Lia: We are going to have to doing something about that attitude of yours.

Jesse: Aw, leave 'im alone, darlin'.

Lia: Don't call me 'darling'.

Jaden: I wouldn't get into it with her right now, Jess. She's been...worse than usual.

Lia: (twitching) You wanna start something? Is that it? You wanna go? 'Cus we'll go. We'll go and I will END you!

...And down girl. No ending the protagonist before the series is done.

Lia: So I can kill him afterwards?

Jaden: No!

Sure, fine, whatever you want.

Jaden: MoS!

Not my problem.

Jaden: Jesse!

Jesse: (sigh) Don't worry Jay, Ah'll protect ya.

Jaden: Thanks Jess! (smiles)

...(attempts to contain nosebleed)

Lia: You're such a pervert.

Two hot guys. Together. What's not to love?

Lia: Stop drooling over Jaden and his boyfriend and get back to the closing comments!

But-

Lia: Now!

Alright, geez, crazy Nazi-bitch. Where was I? Oh yeah. Sorry for the late update. But better late than never, right?

Lia: Your opinion only.

Hey, I don't interfere with your terrorizing the cast, so you can't try and tell me how to end a chapter, got it?! Hell, sometimes she is so hard to work with. Anywho, how do you all like this twist? The 'Retrieve Syrus Arc' is about to begin! ...Why does that suddenly make me think of people jumping through badly looped tree backgrounds, talking for eight episodes.

Jesse: Because ya've been watchin' waaaaay too much animeh lahtely.

Get bent, Anderson. ...There's no such thing as too much anime. It's been scientifically proven.

Lia: No it hasn't.

My world, my rules.

Lia: Aspect of metacognition. Fourth Wall absent.

I don't care.

Lia: You are impossible.

And I created you. What does that say about YOU?

Lia: That I don't have to look far to find the origin of my more stupid moments.

Bitch.

Lia: (smug) Thank you.

It wasn't a compliment.

Lia: But I'm taking it as one.

Jesse: Are they gunna stop anehtahme soon?

Jaden: No, they'll be like that for a while. Hey, maybe WE could do the translations!

Jesse: Ah dunno, Jay. Seems a little too-

Jaden: C'mon, please? (pouts)

Jesse: You're luckeh you're so cute.

Jaden: You say something?

Jesse: Nuthin'. (grins)

Jaden: (confused) 'Kay. ...Um, so we have the re-emergence of the bond between Lia and Alexis. They seem really close, even though Alexis seems to know something about Lia that the rest of us don't. I hope she'll tell us soon.

Jesse: She'll talk when she's readeh.

Jaden: And now there's a plan to get Syrus back!

Jesse: Scale o' one ta ten, how dangerous is th' plan?

Jaden: (grins secretively) Not telling!

Jesse: Jaden!

Jaden: No way, Jess! I can't spoil it for the audience. You'll just have to wait for next week, just like everybody else.

Jesse: No fun! (pouts)

Jaden: (loops arm around Jesse) Aw, cheer up pal! Next week is gonna be a good chapter, I promise.

Jesse: (blushing very lightly) Ya promise?

Jaden: (nods) Uh-huh.

Jesse: And ya promsie you're gunna come outta o' this okay?

Jaden: I promise.

Jesse: Ya better.

Omigod, the Spiritshippyness of it all!

Jaden: Holy-!

Jesse: Chrahst, where'd ya pop up from?!

You two are just...(squeals) I love you guys! (glomps on Jaden and Jesse)

Lia: (rolling eyes) You're a sucker for this kind of thing. It's a little pathetic.

Eeeeeeh! The Spiritshipping!

Jesse: Ah'm startin' ta feel a bit vaholated.

Jaden: It's so weird. She's always like this, but it gets whenever you're around.

Jesse: Me?

Jaden: Yeah, the more you're around, the worse she gets.

Lia: The more he's around YOU, Jaden. Haven't you figured it out by NOW?

Jaden: Figured what out?

Lia: I give up. You're hopeless.

Jaden: You're acting worse today too. But you only get like this once a month.

Jesse: What?

Jaden: Hey Lia, why do you get so pissed off once a month?

Lia: (blushing bright red)

Jaden: C'mon Lia, I wanna know.

Jesse: Uh, Jay? Maybe you should-

Lia: You're curious?! I'll show YOU curious! (lunges at Jaden. Attempts to kill)

Well, on that note, I think I'll scram while the getting's good.

Jesse: Ya're not even gunna trah ta help him?

That's what you're for, Jesse-darling.

MoS


	41. The Partner

Warnings: Some Zane deelopement, people talking about a plan you will NOT understand as of yet, and Jaden being Jaden again.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" I assume you've all been filled in?" Jaden eyed the company. Lia met his gaze with a determined one of her own.

" If by that you mean do we know about this insane little stunt you're planning to pull, then yes, we've been informed."

Jaden leveled her with a look.

" I take it you aren't fond of the plan?"

" Oh no, it's fine." Lia shrugged, but her shoulders shook a little before she could control it. " It's just the part where _you_ go face to face with those things that I'm having a bit of trouble with."

Jaden let a sigh escape him. He brought a hand up to run it through his unruly bangs. Across from him, Alexis was also giving him a worried look. And at the table next to hers, Chazz was refusing to meet his eyes, glaring at a bookshelf. Bastian swung aimlessly in his computer chair, and Chumley looked up from the window, sad look on his usually blank face.

" Syrus wouldn't want you to risk your life for him." The large boy said slowly.

" He'd do that same for us!" Jaden snapped, throwing his eyes around to look at all of the gathered group. " Anyone of us!"

" Don't you think we know that?" Alexis pleaded.

" We know that Syrus is worth his weight in gold, Jaden." Bastian stood up, the chair still swinging slightly behind him. " But that doesn't change the fact that we're all afraid to lose you too."

" Speak for yourself." Chazz muttered, but it lacked any heat. Still, Lia glared at him with over bright eyes.

" Look, I know it's scary and I know how much this is hurting you all," Jaden turned pleading eyes on his friends, " but I can't just sit here and let Sy wallow in that horrible place with those Sacred Beasts. We've already wasted so much time trying to find a way to get him out, and with Sheppard refusing to help us…" He trailed off.

" I want him back too, God, do I want him back…" Alexis stopped, trying to gather her thoughts. " …But…why does it have to be _you_ Jaden?"

" Huh?" He looked at her. When Alexis met his gaze, her eyes were brimming with tears.

" Why does you have to be the one who does it?"

" Because he's the only one who has a chance of succeeding."

Everyone jumped straight into the air as a voice they hadn't heard in months cut across the empty library.

Zane had moved out from his corner. The dreary lighting streaming in from the cloud-covered window made his skin seem paler than usual. The bags that had gathered under his eyes after weeks of sleepless nights spent full of regret and painful dreams haunting his every step seem all the more dark and depressing in the quiet library. His movements lacked any of the usual grace. When he walked, it was in a shuffling sort of hobble, his feet dragging along the ground in an effort to keep him rooted, as though even one step forward would cause him immense pain. And perhaps it did, because with each step, he winced, scrunching his face up.

The group watched as he quietly approached the front of the room, his eyes (which up until that moment, had been over cast and glazed, forever looking over his shoulder, like he expected hi brother to come running up to him and demand something of him) staring only at Jaden, alive for the first time in weeks with the kind of hope that Jaden didn't dare to disappoint.

" Jaden is different from the rest of us." Zane said, his voice somewhat hoarse from not being used. " I don't know how, and I don't know why, but if anyone can take on the Sacred Beasts and get Syrus back, it's him."

" Why don't you do it?" Lia snapped. " He's _your_ brother!"

" Don't you think I _want_ that?" Zane growled at her, his eyes blazing. Lia took a step back, alarmed by the fury in his gaze. " Don't you think I _want_ to be the one to get him back?"

" Zane, Lia, that's enough." Alexis tried, but Zane stormed past her, leaning over the desk so he could tower over the brunette.

" I would give my left arm if it meant that I could bring Syrus home, but the fact remains that I _can't do it_! I would fail, and the Beasts would take me, and if I thought that I could use that to trade places with Syrus, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but it _wouldn't matter_! And then there'd be two of us gone instead of one!"

He glared at her so darkly that Lia fell back into her seat. Bastian walked to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder and meeting Zane's glared evenly.

" Zane, you're frightening her."

" I want her to understand!" Zane snarled at the boy. " I want her to see that no matter how much we all hate it, I can't be the one who gets Syrus back! I can't be the one who runs the risk!" His shoulders sagged. " It has to be Jaden, because he's the only one who can."

" What sets him apart?" It was impossible to miss the jealousy in Chazz's voice. " What makes him so special?!"

Zane gave him a humourless smile. It stuck Lia suddenly (just as it struck every other occupant of the room at the exact same moment) how tired and lost Zane looked. Gone was the god who'd stood in the dying sunlight in the cove of rocks that day so many months ago (months? Had it only been _months_? How long ago was it that Jaden had tried to challenge her to a duel? How long ago was it that she'd made him take those first few notes? How long ago was it that her walls were blown away? Her throat ached oddly), and in his place was a frightened teenaged boy. His shoulders shook and there might have been tears gathering in his eyes (his head was down and his bangs had fallen over his face), and when he spoke, his voice trembled just a bit, and Lia felt her heart go out to him.

And then she remembered the way he'd looked at her that day (like she was nothing at all), and hated him all over again for being a coward.

" Don't you know?" Zane practically whispered. " Haven't you felt it when you dueled him?"

" You mean-" Alexis started, her eyes wide, but Chazz cut her off.

" I don't feel anything but irritation when I duel him!"

" You're lying." Zane said softly. "We all felt it when we dueled him. It was fun."

" Yeah." Alexis was nodding, her eyes hazy with her thoughts.

Chazz scoffed.

" So what? It was fun before he got here."

Alexis shook her head.

" But it wasn't, was it?" Zane asked quietly. " There was no challenge, no thrill, no _reason_ for dueling was there?"

" There was _winning_!"

" But that wasn't cutting it anymore, was it?"

It was Chumley who whispered it, his voice barely heard over the thundering of each of their hearts. Every head turned to look at the quiet boy, who hadn't spoken much since they had gathered. His grilled cheese still sat, untouched (now they all knew just how seriously he took the situation), cold and rather unappealing on its plastic plate. He met their gazes steadily, looking directly at Chazz, who took a step back.

" W-What are you talking about, you scrub?"

" Winning wasn't enough anymore, was it?"

" Of _course_ it was! Winning was the only thing that mat-"

" You're not fooling anyone." The look on Alexis' face left no room for argument. Chazz's puffed out chest deflated, and he looked away, customary scowl on his face.

" …Alright, fine. So it was getting stale. So what? What does that have to do with the Slacker?"

" And what about now?"

" What _about_ now?"

" How is dueling now?"

Chazz blinked.

" It's…" He trailed off looking for the right words. " It's…different now…"

" More fun?" Alexis whispered. In the background, Jaden was looking between the three older students, confusion on his face. He opened his mouth, but a quick glance fro Bastian and a dark look from Lia silenced him. The trio turned back to the others, watching the scene unfold.

" Yeah, I guess you could say that."

" And what happened?"

" What?"

" What made dueling fun again?"

" I don't know!" Chazz ran an agitated hand through his hair. " I just…it got fun again, somehow."

" What changed?"

" I don't know, okay?!" Chazz shouted, his pale facing flushing in anger. " I have no idea what happened! One day, I just woke up, and it was back! The thrill, the challenge, the everything! I don't know what made it come back, but it all happened after I dueled-"

He froze, and turned, very slowly, to look at Jaden.

" Now do you see what I mean when I say Jaden is the only one who can do it?" Zane gave him a tired look. Chazz merely blinked, still staring at his rival.

" But…but…_how_?" He managed to choke out. Zane shrugged.

" I don't know. It just happens. But when I asked Sheppard about the Sacred Beasts-"

" Wait." Bastian held up his hand. " When did you go to Sheppard?"

Zane looked away from them, his bangs falling into his face again and his voice rough.

" After you guys tried…and he called it…" Here, Zane started to shake, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. " …a…_necessary_," he spat the word, " sacrifice, I went to Sheppard to try and change his mind."

" Bet that went well." Alexis breathed. Zane had the decency to look ashamed.

" Before I lost it on him, he told me a little about the Sacred Beasts." Zane looked up. " They're dangerous because they steal the energy out of the cards around them."

" So what," Lia tried to wrap her head around the concept, " they…eat other cards?"

" Something like that." Zane nodded. " They basically steal the energy out of Duel Monsters."

" But Jaden…" Alexis trailed off, her eyes wide.

" Exactly." Zane nodded.

" I'm still in the room, you know." Jaden rolled his eyes. " Why exactly do you think I can do this?"

" Why were you going to do it in the first place?" Chumley eyed him.

Jaden gave a determined smirk.

" Because Syrus is my best friend, and I owe him that much."

There was a stunned silence (stunned by what, exactly? His determination? His stubbornness? His inability to give up? They already knew about all those things). Abruptly, a low, raspy chuckle filled the air.

" That's just like you." Zane said in between snorts. " Rushing off to do something stupid without thinking everything through."

Jaden smiled.

" If I don't, who will?"

" We will." Bastian gestured around. " We all will. Syrus is just as important to us. We're ready to run this risk if it means getting him back." The British boy smiled. " Right?"

" You bet!" Chumley pumped his fist in the air.

" We're not leaving without Syrus! No way, now how." Alexis grinned.

" This has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever done." Lia shrugged, smiling brightly. " Wonder why I waited so long."

" If I don't do this, you idiots will nag me until I agree to it." Chazz stood up, and walked over to where the group was standing. " Might as well save myself a headache."

Zane placed his hand over the gathered ones.

" For Syrus."

Jaden smiled at him, and out his hand over the older boy's.

" For Sy." He agreed, and the group pulled their hands up, a warm feeling of confidence bubbling up around them.

" Well, let's get started then." Jaden rubbed his hands together. " Whose keys should we use?"

" Not yours." Alexis said quickly.

" Mine." Zane held his key out. Jaden eyed it.

" Are you sure, Zane?"

The boy laughed bitterly.

" If I can't be the one who pulls Syrus out of that darkness, then I at least want to provide the means of getting to him."

" Okay." Bastian nodded. " That's one. We need one more."

Alexis fingered the key around her neck."

" I guess we could use-"

" Mine."

Chazz pushed past the blonde, his face set. In his hands he clutched his Spirit Gate key, holding it out as though it were an offering at an altar. His fist was clenched to white around the key, but he held it forward anyway, looking to the side and refusing to meet any of the incredulous eyes that stared at his face. With a huff, he shoved the key in Jaden's hands, crossing his arms and turning fully away.

" Chazz…" The Slifer boy started, " …you know what this means, right?"

" Yeah, yeah, whatever." Chazz shrugged. " Let's get this whole thing over with so that you can bring the midget home and we can all stop moping around."

" Chazz…" Jaden trailed off, looking at the key in his hands.

" Jaden." The boy looked up.

Zane had activated his duel disk, holding it out in front of him, steely look in his eyes. Jaden jumped to attention, his disk activating as well. He took his position across from Zane.

" You ready?" He called out.

" Always have been." Zane whispered, and held out his arm.

" Alright then. I challenge you to a duel Zane, and the winner gets to keep your Spirit Gate key, got it?"

" Understood." Zane nodded briskly. He raised his hand, and put it on his deck. " I surrender."

" Then the key is mine." Jaden held his hand out.

" That was so anti-climactic." Lia murmured. " What a let down."

" Oh, shush." Alexis elbowed the younger girl in the side. " There's plenty of time for Jaden and Zane to throw down later. Right now, we just have to worry about Syrus."

" Speaking of which." Lia brushed past the others, snagging Chazz's arm as she went. " We'd better get going. Those idiots will be taking the paper mache fakes we made any time now."

Chazz steadied himself (Lia had yanked him pretty hard), and ran beside her.

" Whose keys did we make copies of again?"

" Yours, Zane's, and Lexi's, did you forget?" Lia headed for the door. Chazz rolled his eyes.

" I've had some things on my mind lately. I can't be expected to remember every little thing you guys do."

" Well, you have a duel with the Dark Scorpions, do you remember that?"

" Crap! Duel!" Chazz whipped around, and activated his disk. " I surrender to Jaden Yuki. My Spirit Gate Key is now his. C'mon, French Bitch!" He ran back to the door where Lia was waiting, one eyebrow raised. " We've got some work to do."

" I hope you can act." Lia's voice drifted in from the open door as the two vanished around a corner. Chazz's 'Shut up!' echoed back to them, and Jaden couldn't help but smile.

" That's one problem taken care of." He said. Alexis gave him a dubious look.

" Were those really the best people to pair up, Jaden?"

The boy smiled at her.

" They can make enough racket to distract the entire school. And all they need to do is distract Sheppard for a while." He sobered up again. " Now then."

Reaching into the pocket of his jacket, Jaden withdrew the head piece Abidos had given him.

" With two Shadow Charms, our chances-"

" Three." Zane stepped forward, pressing something along with his key into Jaden's hands. It was a golden choker, with the same eye that all the charms had carved into it.

" It's Camulla's." Zane explained when Jaden looked up. " She gave it to me after our duel."

" Why?"

The older boy shrugged.

" I don't know. She just put it into my hand and wished me luck with getting Syrus back." Zane looked off, out the window. " Maybe she was trying to say sorry."

He looked at Jaden then, suddenly, with fevered eyes.

" Bring Syrus back Jaden." His voice was a plea. " You're the only one I can trust to bring my little brother back safely. I meant it, that day. I meant it when I said Syrus was lucky to have someone like you looking out for him."

" He's my best bud." Jaden whispered, and Zane smiled sadly.

" I know. And that's why I think that if anyone can bring him back, it's you." Zane took a deep breath. " When I was in the Chancellor's office, I saw an area of the carpet that didn't match the rest of it under his desk. It's not much, but it's a start."

" It's more than enough." Jaden clapped Zane on the shoulder. The older boy nodded.

" C'mon, Zane." Alexis took his arm. " We'll go see my brother, and then meet up with Lia and Chazz, and see if we can't help them."

" Got it." Zane nodded, and let Alexis lead him out of the room. Bastian followed after them, smiling.

As soon as the duo had left, Jaden turned to Chumley.

" You ready?"

" Nope." The large boy shook his head. Jaden gave a shaky grin.

" Good. Me neither."

* * *

Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Retrieve Syrus arc! Before I get into any of my translations, a new reviewer left me a message I'd like to address.

Lia is in no way 'a hideous nerd'.

Yes, I'll acknowledge that that's how she came off in the first, and subsequent chapters, but there's one very important thing you have to remember: Whenever Lia is described as homely or plain or even ugly, it is usually her own perspective (or Chazz's, but even Chazz draws the line somewhere). Lia is biased when it comes to herself. She's at a very awkward and strange time in her life, and being surrounded by girls who look like Alexis aren't helping. Lia isn't really all that ugly. She's just fourteen years old, not full developed, and comparing herself to girls who are older, with better figures and more confidence. Lia sees herself as plain and ugly because she has self-esteem issues. At that age, very few girls don't have them. She isn't suicidal and this isn't supposed to be a 'bucket o' angst' story, but Lia still has those issues. She doesn't see someone pretty when she looks in the mirror. And God only knows how bad this thing with Bastian has made her feel.

If you want a more accurate idea of what Lia really looks like, re-read Jaden's first thoughts on her and the impressions other characters have of her at first glance. She is usually described as a 'cute, but with an attitude', and the people thinking this have a better perception of Lia because they can see her without bias.

Just wanted to get that out there.

Anywho, how was your week, everybody? Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians!

Lia: Right, just give away what country you're from, why don't ya?

Oh please, what's the worst that cuold happen?

Jaden: Famous last words.

Jesse: Ah hear that.

Both of you shut up. You're NOT helping.

Lia: Point for me.

What?! How that be a point for you?! You didn't win.

Lia: Oh yes, I did.

Did not!

Lia: Grow up.

Make me!

Jesse: And they're off.

Jaden: I vote we just leave 'em alone this time.

Jesse: Sounds lahke a plan.

Jaden: So what'd'ya wanna do?

Jesse: Duel?

Jaden: (grinning) Now you're talking my language!

MoS

Hey! I didn't even get to translate anything!

Lia: Let the idiots figure it out on their own! God, stop spoon feeding them your every plot twist!

Don't call my readers idiots!


	42. The Exposition

Warnings: Some Chumley development, and the triumphant return of Brier. Can I get a round of applause?

*sound of crickets coughing, because they couldn't be bothered to chirp*

Lia: Wow. What a wonderful audience. So warm and clap-happy.

Don't you have to go practice your sneering in the mirror or something?

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX._

Lia: Thank God! Have you _seen_ the crap she writes?! Do you really want that kinda shit on TV, where it can reach a larger audience? Do you want to expose her to children?! Have you no regard for the purity and innocence of their sou-

(puts hand over her mouth) I'm sorry, it's been a bad week. She found the plot outline for Year Two and she had a few, teeny-tiny problems.

Lia: (pulls hand off mouth) Yeah, like the PLOT! Change it!

Aaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnd, we'redone! (drags Lia off stage. Shouting is heard from backstage.)

Jesse: (peeks out around curtain) It's not gunna git aneh mo' interestin', y'all mahght as well go read th' storeh. (goes back behind curtain) Would y'all kahndleh keep yer traps SHUT?!

Lia: (offstage) Go drown yourself, Anderson!

* * *

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" And that's what's going on."

Alexis sighed from her seat by the bed.

" I know what you're thinking, Atty. It's stupid, it's crazy, and it'll never work, but it's all we've _got_!" Alexis leaned forward in the chair, clasping her hands under her chin and staring at her brother's immobile form. Behind her, standing in the corner with his arms crossed. Zane squeezed his eyes shut.

" And I agree with you." Zane looked up at her, his eyes wide. " It _is_ stupid and it _is_ crazy and it might _never_ work, but it's the best we've managed to come up with. And we can't wait anymore, Atty, we just _can't_! Every second we waste trying to come with a safer plan is another second Syrus has to spend with those monsters!" Behind her, Zane flinched. " And while I don't want to risk Jaden or anyone else, we've got no choice!"

She grimaced and clenched her fists, her eyes watering slightly.

" I…I would go…if I thought it would help." She said shakily. " I'd go and tell those Beasts to give me my friend back. I'd march down there and pull Syrus right out of their claws if I could, but we both know that I can't." She sighed, leaning back again.

" When did things get so complicated Atty? Last year, the most I had to worry about was my dueling tests and pop quizzes the teachers would give us. I used to complain and whine and bitch about it all. But now?" She laughed, placing her hand on her aching temple. " Now, I'd give anything to have to worry about a test instead of this nightmare.

" I'm scared it'll all go wrong Atty. I'm scared the plan we came up with will fail, and then we'll have lost Jaden too. I'm scared of that, Atty. I'm scared of losing Jaden. I'm scared of another Shadow Game. I'm scared I'm not strong enough to protect this stupid key around my neck. I'm just…I'm just so scared of everything. And I'm _sick_ of it!" She brought her fists down onto her folded lap. " I'm so sick and tired of being scared all the time! I wish…" She looked away, biting her lower lip. Behind her, Zane pushed off the wall, but she didn't seem to notice.

" I wish I could be strong and confident like Jaden. I wish I could be cool and logical like Bastian. I wish I could believe in this idea like Lia does. She hides it, but I know she believes in Jaden. I know she thinks he can do anything. I wish I could have that kind of faith.

" We worked so hard on this plan. We replicated the Spirit Gate keys to a tee. Even Lia help, and she didn't even know what it was for at the time. We made sure those Dark Scorpion idiots saw us put the _real_ keys in the hiding places. And then we had Chazz sneak back later and replace every key except Banner's with the fakes we made.

" Yeah, I know, I didn't think Chazz would be such a big help either. But he's really been giving his all. He seems to want Syrus back as much as the rest of us." Alexis paused. " I think…I think this might be his way of apologizing to us. I think he might be trying to let us know that he's changed, and that he's grateful to be here. He's trying to let us know that we're important to him. That's what I think he's doing. He's been…going out of his way to help us. He got us an empty classroom to make the fakes. He helped us plant them. He found out about the Dark Scorpions, and that helped Jaden come up with the plan.

" Not to mention he volunteered to duel those Shadow Riders as a distraction. Even though…

" Atty, this will blow your mind, but Chazz…he gave up his Spirit Gate key. He let us use it to open those four Spirit Gates. Remember? I said we think that having more Gates open than shut might let us talk to the Sacred Beasts without letting them loose. That was Jaden's idea.

" This has all been Jaden's idea. He's worked so hard on this plan and if it doesn't work…" Alexis broke off, trying very hard to contain her tears. A warm hand on her shoulder made her jolt. She looked up to see Zane leaning over her, rubbing her shoulder soothingly. She gave him a tearful smile.

" Don't mind me, big brother, I'm just being stupid. It's going to work. You just wait and see. We'll have Syrus back in no time."

" Atticus." This time it was Zane's low voice that broke the silence. Alexis looked up at him again, but he was staring at her comatose brother.

" Atticus, I told you that if anything ever happened, I'd look after your kid sister." Alexis jolted, but Zane's hand held her down. " I've kept my promise. I've made sure nothing's happened to her. And I want you to know that I'll keep doing that. Nothing will happen, I promise."

Alexis looked up at Zane, her eyes narrowed.

" I'm still in the room, you know." Zane gave her a look. " And I can look after myself, Zane."

" I offered to do it." Zane gave her shoulder a squeeze. " I offered to protect you."

" Why?" Alexis shrugged the hand off, turning in the hospital chair by her brother's bed to look at him.

Zane shrugged.

" Because you're important to us. The both of us." He looked at the comatose boy. " I wanted to protect you, Lex."

It was entirely spontaneous. She didn't even know why she did it. She just knew that in the instant he let that confession slip past his usually guarded lips, all the old feelings that she had had locked away for so long came rushing back up for a single moment, and her heart almost exploded out of her chest. She shot up, and looped her arms around his surprised neck. With a hoist of her own body (she'd grown, of course, in the past year, but Zane still towered over her, just like he towered over everyone), she was on eye level with him.

Then she kissed his cheek.

" Thanks." She whispered into his neck as she buried her burning face there (funny, she hadn't blushed so hard when she'd kissed Jaden. Probably because that had been on her terms, not his). Zane stood very still under her grip, frozen by either shock or fear or something she couldn't understand. She gave his shoulders a reassuring squeeze, and made to move back when his arms snapped up and engulfed her, crushing her to his form. The shoulders under her hands began to shake and the arms that held her trembled. She could feel him burying his face in her hair with a shuddering gasp, and, to her shock, a slight hiccupping noise escaped him.

" Zane?" She whispered (it seemed so very wrong to speak any louder than that.) Above her, Zane gave another shudder, and pulled her closer still, until she could hear his heart thundering in his chest.

" Zane, what is it?" She reached up and stroked his head, running her fingers through his hair. Zane leaned into the touch, pressing his face lower and lower until it was by her ear. Something wet dripped off his cheek onto her neck, and when he spoke, his voice was rough and unsteady.

" I thought…I thought you hated me." He breathed, and Alexis felt her heart break all over again. " I thought you hated me. I didn't blame you, but it hurt, Lex. And then Syrus…"

" What happened with Syrus?" Her other hand soothed his back. " C'mon, you can tell me."

" Syrus finally had enough of me. I finally pushed him too far, and he…"

" Shhh." Alexis pressed a soft kiss on the top of his head as the older boy took a shuddering breath.

" He said he hated me."

It wasn't what Alexis had expected to hear, but it wasn't far from what she had imagined. She tightened her grip and held Zane, whispering softly until his shaking calmed and he made to pull away from her. She didn't loosen her grip, holding him in place.

" Do you feel better?" She asked. Zane laughed slightly.

" You won't tell anyone about that, will you?"

" Who, me?" Alexis pointed to herself. " No way! That was our little secret." She smiled at him. " You're lucky Atticus is out of it, or he would have your hide."

" Really?" Zane led her towards the door. " He was always telling me I should ask you out."

" Atticus was delusional." Alexis looked away to hide her blush. " He seemed to think every guy in existence was in love with me or something."

" A good many of them are."

" Yeah but…you know…you weren't."

" Well, who says I wasn't?"

" _What_?!" Zane laughed at her red face. She scowled at him.

" You always did blush easily."

" Shut up! You should know better than to say things like that!"

" Things like what?"

" You must be feeling better. You're already teasing me."

" If you didn't have such interesting reactions, I wouldn't have to tease you so much."

" Yeah, yeah, that's the excuse you always give, but we both know you're just a sadist at heart."

" I'm hurt, Lex."

They continued bickering (smiling the whole way of course) back and forth as they meandered down the hall, walking slowly away from the nurse's office and on campus hospital. Outside the great big windows across the hall from them, they could see a large crowd gathering around two figures, who had holographic cards laid out in front of them.

" Looks like it worked." Alexis breathed. Beside her, Zane nodded.

" Looks like."

**_**

Later on, after the whole story came out (in front of about half of the student body to boot), Brier wondered why he hadn't seen it coming.

But then again, given that he'd been warned off from hanging out with Jaden too much, he supposed he shouldn't be too surprised that he was in the dark.

Weeks before 'The Second Incident – The thing with the monkey was still considered to be the First Incident-, Brier could remember Jaden darting up to him, yelling and grinning, his face flushed with delight, and a strange, golden trinket hanging from a thin rope bouncing off his chest with each step he took. When the Ra boy had raised a quizzical eyebrow at the sight of the strange necklace, Jaden had glanced down, seen his new jewelry, and proceeded to explain, in a _very_ enthusiastic voice (Brier would swear later, even into the following years, that his ears were _still_ ringing) just _what_, exactly, said trinket was.

Brier had been, to say the least, struck dumb.

" _Sacred Beasts?"_

" _Yeah!" Jaden nodded his head up and down so fast that the green-haired boy had to wonder that it didn't pop right off. _

" _Super powerful cards."_

" _Yup!" Jaden's grin was blinding. Brier could in no way say that he shared the Slifer's delight at the prospect of three awesomely powerful cards lying, not exactly __**dormant**__, under a school teeming with duel energy-filled students. In fact, the idea down right freaked him out, setting his knees a-shaking like the very mention of dueling before a crowd used to before he's met the boy in front of him. Reminded, suddenly, of that night what felt like almost a lifetime ago, Brier eyed the still-smiling boy through the long green fringe that fell over his face. _

_Jaden looked…open, Brier supposed. Honest, happy…innocent. There was the air about him of someone who could find no greater pleasure in life than to sit back and enjoy all the simple things. His duel disk was, surprisingly, absent from his arm, being held instead in a loose grip by his left hand, while his right one careful fiddled with the golden charm that, according to him, was all that stood between the world and certain destruction. The sunlight caught the gleaming piece, and it sparkled slightly, lying, completely innocuous, against the gently tanned skin of Jaden's fingertips._

_His eyes had caught the sun as well, Brier noticed as he stared hard at Jaden's face, trying his hardest to see beyond the ever-present smile that shone like a beacon in the night. His eyes were shining just as brightly as the key thing, but there was an inner light, an eagerness that no inanimate piece of metal could replicate. There was a desire to duel, to fight, Brier supposed it was, that lit up his eyes in a way the sun never could. Somehow, it managed to calm Brier down a little bit._

_After all, if Jaden felt the need to fight, at least at some level, it meant he was human right?_

" _And these cards are under the school?" He finished, shaking his head at the stupidity of the higher-ups, hiding something so dangerous in the reach of a bunch of naïve, often power-hungry, teenagers._

" _Yeah, pretty much." Jaden scratched the back of his head. " I think Sheppard said that there was some kinda crypt or cage or something that they're kept it. Either way, in order to get to them, even if you get down there, you have to open all the Spirit Gates. Which is where-"_

" _These key things come in." Brier nodded knowingly. " But, really, you have to question the intelligence of hiding them in a place like this. I mean, they've got what, a few gates guarding them? Easy as hell to get through."_

" _You have to win the keys in a duel." Jaden pointed out, but Brier rolled his eyes._

" _Yeah, and in the middle of the duel, what's stopping one of the baddies from taking someone hostage and threatening to kill them unless you or someone else with the key surrenders?"_

_From the look of horror on Jaden's face, Brier could assume that the idea had never occurred to him._

" _I mean," the boy continued, "All they'd have to do would be to reach into the crowd, and grab some random bystander. Not like it would be too hard."_

" _Shit." Jaden whispered, his eyes wide. Brier noticed, with a painful twist of his stomach, that he looked just as innocent as he had before, explaining how the Sacred Beasts and Spirit Gates functioned. _

" _Shit, I hadn't even __**thought**__ of that!" _

_He buried his hands in his already unruly hair, twisting his locks around in his fingers, biting his lower lip hard, the skin white between his teeth. Whether it was just a natural reaction to the stress or a habit he's picked up from hanging around Lia too much, Brier couldn't say. _

" _What are we supposed to do if the Shadow Riders do something like that?"_

_Brier blinked in confusion._

" _Who?"_

" _The Shadow Riders!" Jaden's grip on his hair must have been painful. His knuckles were starting to go white. _

" _I'll assume from the name," Brier said with a touch of belligerence in his tone, " that they're not on our side."_

" _Is anybody __**ever**__ on our side?" Jaden joked weakly. Then the barely-there smile he'd tried to push up on his face stopped, and he looked gravely at his small friend. " The Shadow Riders are basically a group of duelists who aim to release the Sacred Beasts and use them for their own purposes."_

" _They sound like __**wonderful**__ people. We should have them over for a movie night some time." Brier bit out sarcastically. Then he blanched, realizing just how __**much**__ he sounded like a certain, first year Academic who happened to share his dorm._

" _Brier, listen to me." Jaden ran a hand through his hair wearily. " You've got a great point with the whole 'hostage' thing."_

" _Yeah, and?"_

" _I want you to keep away from me."_

_Brier's blood ran cold._

" _Wh-What?" He stuttered, an icy, frigid hand closing around the thundering organ in his chest. His eyes stung suspiciously, but he forced it back, staring, with a pained looked, into Jaden's pleading face._

" _I can't let you, or Beauregard for that matter, get hurt like that." _

_The icy fingers let up just a little._

" _If I get into a duel, and you or Beau gets captured, and you get hurt because of me," Jaden shuddered. " …I didn't have friends like this back home. I won't let anything happen to the ones I've got here."_

_He reached down, and placed a steady hand on Brier's shoulder, his eyes hard as steel and gentle as clouds._

" _I'm not gonna let these Shadow Riders hurt anybody."_

That was the last time he'd spoken to Jaden in weeks. Jaden had run up to Beauregard's room, repeated the pleading message to the Quebecois boy, and then proceeded to cut off all contact with the two, as though hoping that whoever the Shadow Riders were, they would only see the distance he had forcibly created between the boys, and not think to try and use the situation Brier had dreamed up.

Brier would lie if he said it hadn't hurt, feeling as though Jaden had the notion in his head that neither Brier nor Beauregard had the strength to withstand the Shadow Riders, but at the same time, he had to acknowledge that everything Jaden was doing (and Brier knew, from the half-sad, half-relieved at their safety looks he'd been on the receiving end of for weeks, that Jaden was probably hurting just as bad, if not worse) was for their benefit, and not his own.

But this? Of all the half-baked schemes Brier knew Jaden was capable (_more_ that capable) of coming up with, this was not one he'd anticipated.

On the one hand, there was Lia, shaking like a leaf, clinging to Chancellor Sheppard's arm as she half-guided, half-dragged him down to the open field by the Red Dorms, where a decently sized circle (growing larger with every passing second. From all the noise the two at the center of the circle were making, as well as the amount of squawking Lia seemed to be doing, Brier didn't have to look far to find the reason) that enclosed two duelists, each with their disks activated and raised, monsters strewn out on each side of the field.

Even as Chazz made some ridiculous claim about monster spirits, and the tall, silver-haired man with the strange, golden eye-patch laughed at him, Brier could only shake his head, and then let it fall lightly into his open palm.

" Oh Jaden." He laughed, despite the serious air around him.

" What _have_ you done this time?"

**_**

The air was thick.

Jaden could feel it every time he breathed. There was a choking, heavy feeling that rushed into his body with every breath, coating his throat and making him feel as though he were trying to force down a lump of lead rather than taking a shallow breath. The air itself did not waft gently around him and Chumley; it _hung_, in great, suffocating clumps, masses of condensed oxygen shifting about, creeping up on them and stalking the two boys like wild, hungry animals.

Still, Jaden had to think that it was a small burden to bear if it meant getting Syrus back in one piece.

It had been far too easy, up until that point, and it made Jaden uneasy. Pressed against the wall just around the corner from Sheppard's office, he'd heard Lia's terrified (he _really_ hoped she was acting. That had been the one aspect of the plan he hadn't been too eager about, but Lia had been adamant about doing her part, and since she couldn't duel, she could at least see to it that there was a clear coast for Jaden and Chumley) scream echo over the school. Not five minutes later, there was the sound of frantic footfalls pounding down the corridor towards the office, whose door had been flung open by a haggard looking, ruffled and rough Sheppard (Jaden allowed himself a split second of perverse delight at the man's harried and clearly shaken state. He had, after all, been the one to call Syrus 'a necessary sacrifice'). Then, from his hiding place, Jaden had managed to catch a glimpse of a frightened (that had better be _acting_), teary-eyed Lia, whose hair was unbound and disheveled, and who looked a little roughed up (Jaden's throat had constricted painfully) grabbing at the Chancellor's arm and almost forcing him out into the hall, babbling about a man with a knife (His fists had tightened to the point where his knuckles were paper white. Chumley had had to forcefully hold him back).

As Lia had pulled their portly chancellor down along the hallway, her hazel eyes, for a split second, had caught his russet ones. There was the briefest of winks, and the slightest tilt of her head towards the still-open office door, and then she's vanished around the corner, her panicked voice still reaching them even after both boys were sure the path was clear.

It had been easy, getting into the office. Jaden was at least grateful that Lia had pulled Sheppard away before he'd had time to close the door, which Zane had warned him had an automatic lock (how the older boy knew this, Jaden hadn't dared to ask).

Finding the trapdoor that led down, hidden just under the desk and beneath a bit of carpet, had been equally as easy. Chumley, using a strength Jaden hadn't known he'd possessed, had quite easily managed to shove the desk out of its proper place, and with a bit of hunting on all fours, they'd found a thin, glimmering silver thread that, when yanked upwards, displayed an amazing amount of resilience, and pulled open a black square in the carpet large enough to fit at least two grown men through at the same time.

Jaden remembered whistling at the sight of it.

" This is it, huh?" Chumley had murmured, looking down into the abyss. " No going back after this."

" You don't have to go if you don't want to." Jaden had said reassuringly. But Chumley had shaken his head violently.

" No! I have to…I …I _need_ to do this…" Chumley had stumbled over his words. " I…Syrus _deserves_ this. From me, I mean. He deserves to have me run this risk for him."

Chumley had looked down at the floor.

" You know, before this year, I had nobody. I was just this fat, stupid loser in the back of the class, who couldn't win at _anything_. Everybody made fun of me, everybody always laughed when I lost. I never had anything to be proud of. My parents were fighting, my dad was drinking, and I was a loser who was going nowhere."

Shudders began to wrack his form.

" I gave up, Jay." He admitted shakily. " I gave up, and I let everything everyone said get to me. I believed it when they said I was a loser, and because of that, I became one. I lost even worse, I let my grades drop, I got depressed and failed the year. By the time you and Sy showed up, I'd given up on ever achieving _anything_."

When Chumley looked up, there were tears streaking down his face. But his jaw was set, and despite the tears in them, a fire was burning in his eyes.

" But you two changed that. You and Sy gave me something to believe in again, and you showed me that I wasn't the loser everybody kept saying I was. You gave me a reason to stand up to my dad, and stay at this Academy. You and Syrus…" Chumley shook his head. " I'll never be able to repay you guys for what you did, but the least I can do is come with you to get Sy back."

The stout boy lumbered forward, easing himself down into the chasm below. Jaden remained crouched, watching him, but not really seeing anything, as Chumley's words struck home.

" Hurry up." Chumley's voice floated from up ahead. Jaden shook off the heavy feeling around them as he darted forward.

' _Syrus._' Jaden thought. ' _Wherever you are, I hope you know that we're coming for you._'

The wind whistled up ahead, eerily echoing off the rough, stone walls around them.

' _I hope you know that you can count on your friends_.'

* * *

I know you're probably all wondering what happened.

Lia: She was lazy.

Cram it, or I am making that rain scene interesting. (Lia balks) That's what I thought. Anywho, what ACTUALLY happened was assignments and sickness. I got super sick this last week, and have been holed up in bed for the better part of it. I had to miss my busiest day (as far as classes go) because I had no energy and had had a very rough night. Damn you, fever-induced hallucination-dreams!

Lia: ...Why do I talk to you?

Because dear, you are little more than a figment of my imagination, brought to life in this specific universe - don't make me go into this again - for the sole purpose of furthering my story along.

Lia: ...I'm a...figment?

Deal with it. Anywho, let's take a looksee at this chapter. We have the explanation of the plan (in true, over the top expository dialogue Yugioh fashion), and the reintroduction of Brier, and where he and Beau have been for the past little while. Isn't Jaden a sweetheart? And...-oh! More Chumley being brave, I love him. Watch out, Syrus, we'll have you outta there in no time.

...

Well, some time. I mean, what's an epic rescue without a little blood, huh?

Lia: It's not so much the blood. It's _whose_ blood that worries me.

Spoil it, and so help me god, you will be the bridesmaid at Bastian and Tanya's wedding, do you understand me?

Lia: O_O. Eep! (nods quickly)

I should hope so. Well, that's all for now, the next chapter will be out tomorrow. I just need to edit it!

MoS

Lia: Seriously, she's not joking about the blood thing. The person she talked into it is-

Lavender. Braidesmaid. Dresses.

Lia: Sorry, gotta go! (running offstage) But I look TERRIBLE in lavender!

(and just because it hasn't been done in a while and it amuses me) Chazz: You look terrible in anything.

*A boot flies out and smacks him in the face. He falls down, twitching*


	43. The Changed

Warnings: Is...Is that...character development...for _Chazz_?! Omigod, it is! It _is_ character development for Chazz! Well, I never thougght I'd see the day!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

_

* * *

_

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

It was, Chazz supposed, not the absolute _worst_ plan ever thought up.

Granted, it was no stroke of genius, no Da Vinci masterpiece, or Einstein theory level work, but, given the circumstances, the consequences, and the sheer lack of authoritative approval, it was probably the best anyone could have come up with.

The fact that said plan was the brainchild of _Jaden Yuki_ was what raised Chazz's hackles and made his teeth grind. (Also, the fact that he had _voluntarily _given up his Spirit Gate Key, no questions asked, no struggles made, all for the sake of returning one crybaby midget back to the world of the living – but then, he wasn't _technically_ dead, so Chazz guessed that description didn't quite fit – with as little pain as possible made the rich boy freeze and try to reconcile his actions. Since when had he been so willing to make sacrifices on his own part for the sake of others? When had he started caring more about the idiots he roomed with than his own pride? When had he…started becoming…one of them?)

Albeit, Chazz guessed that the fake keys idea hadn't come entirely from Jaden. Not when he had had so much help in every aspect of the stupid plan, starting, most definitely, with the next Shadow Riders that were bound to appear.

Really, that hadn't been too hard. The Dark Scorpions were little more than amateurs, as far as anyone (even Lia) in the group was concerned. The sudden appears of about four new individuals, all within a week of each other, had been less of a clever maneuver than it had been a tip off. Running a quick search for their faces on his family's database (because the Princeton family _always_ kept a few less-than-reputable connections at all times, just in case) had yielded the quick, and easy results of the 'notorious' Dark Scorpions.

Really, could the idiots have been anymore obvious?

They'd worn no disguises, other than a quick change of clothes, and made no attempt to hide tell-tale hair or eye colours, which had labeled them as incompetent in the eyes of their would-be victims. So incompetent, in fact, that Jaden had proposed to Chazz one lunch break, away from prying eyes and ears, that there was a good chance that the Scorpions would not recognize it if the real keys happened to be switched with even the most mediocre of copies. And Chazz, despite himself, had been impressed.

The creation of the copies (cheap, stupid little paper-mache fakes that only took about two or so days to make, dry, and paint), and the subsequent switching of the real, hidden keys with the fakes had gone so smooth that Chazz had been on edge for about three hours now, expecting something – _anything_ at that point – to go horrifically wrong.

Lia's scream (more terrified than it should have been. She was just supposed to go and look for Banner, pretending to be waiting in the staff room for him or a teacher who could direct her to him just as one of the Scorpions came to take their prize. Chazz also acknowledged, silently, that Lia probably had some notion in her head to keep an eye on the one hidden key that was a true Spirit Gate key, although what use she could possibly be in that situation was beyond Chazz.) had echoed over the school only a few moments before a furious Don Zaloog had appeared at Chazz door, in his full detective outfit (really, who did he think he was, Chazz scoffed, _Sherlock Holmes_?), demanding that Chazz come out and explain where the keys had all disappeared to. If he had hoped to cause some sort of unrest in and among the duelists guarding the keys (an idea for which Chazz had to applaud him – it would've been a brilliant move…if they had been a bunch of regular children. But they had a goal, and no two-bit thieves, no matter how loud, were going to deter them), he failed miserably, seeing as how Chazz was the only keeper present at the time.

And truth be told, listening to the phony in the really bad costume trying to accuse him of something he _knew_ he would never do (not _now_ anyway) had really worn on Chazz's last nerve.

Calling Don Zaloog and his little posse out had been both a relief and a nightmare, because the second the leader of the Dark Scorpion had realized that his 'in-genius' cover had been blown, he'd challenged Chazz to a duel over the boy's Spirit Key, not even realizing that the prize he was so desperate to get his hands on was little more than paper, water, and glue. With a little paint slapped on to make it convincing.

Chazz was grateful for the chance to prove himself. He couldn't quite explain _why_ he felt he needed a chance to prove himself, but somewhere along the way, in between whining about his new living arrangements, and Syrus vanishing into a dark, twisted portal, Chazz found himself slowly becoming comfortable with the accommodations of Slifer Red. No, the food was all that great (but it had a nice, homey sort of feel to it, something the gourmet, five star chefs of Obelisk Blue never managed to get into their recipes) and the dorm rooms were cramped and small (but there was something to be said about being able to just lounge around on the carpet without worrying about ruining either the expensive rugs on the floor or wrinkling his blue uniform) and being in Slifer meant spending an excessive amount of time with Jaden, who clearly did not understand the meaning of the phrase 'personal space' (but that sort of open friendliness was a stark change from the cold, impassive, frigid politeness of the Blues, where every word was a threat and every smile was a promise to carry out that threat.), but somehow, the low class food and the low class rooms and even the low class people had started to feel more like home than Obelisk Blue ever had. In fact, Slifer Red was beginning to feel more like a home than even his own home. Though Chazz supposed that that wasn't saying much.

But the fact remained that Chazz wanted to show that he'd changed. Changed from what, he didn't know, and changed into who, he didn't care. He just wanted a chance to show that the arrogant bastard who'd strutted down the halls of Duel Academy at the beginning of the year, and the vengeful prick who'd represented North Academy in the School Duel were two very different people from the person Chazz was right now. And even though he wasn't quite sure _who_ exactly that person was, he knew it was infinitely better than who he had been before that point.

" You're nuts, kid!" The idiots had, at the very least, ditched their stupid costume for a set of darker clothing, themed with grayish brown and deep red hues. Chazz had to admit, it was less of an eyesore, especially on the full figure of the pretty lady standing behind Zaloog. Unfortunately, none of them, least of all Don Zaloog, seemed to have lost their flare for the dramatic.

" Am I?" Chazz drawled in his most bored voice, trying to keep his eyes from darting too often to the thorny whip, morning star, and gleaming dagger held by the rest of Zaloog's band.

" You think your cards are talking to ya." Zaloog shook his head in a patronizing manner. The gathering crowd was full of whispers, and Chazz managed to more than one speculation about his lack of sanity. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to ignore the growing buzz of conversation, focusing only on the slick feel of his cards in his hands, the sound of his own breathing, and the mantra that he knew was running through the heads of everyone involved in Jaden's crazy scheme.

' _For Syrus. This is for Syrus. It's all for Syrus._'

" Frankly, kid, " Zaloog continued, " I think you've been beaten one too many times.'

' _Think of Syrus. Think of that whiny midget trapped in that darkness._'

" I mean, really, cards talking to ya? Duel spirits? I'd get some help, if I were you."

' _Alone and afraid. No one there for him. We have to get him out of there. This is for Syrus._'

" I mean, really-"

" Could you _please_ shut up for like, five seconds?!" Chazz snapped, finally having reached his limit. Across from him, Don Zaloog blinked.

" There's no need to snap." He abomished. " Really, people will think you were raised in a barn if you go around acting like some kind of…barbarian."

" I'll show you a barbarian!" Chazz snarled, fiddling with the cards in his deck. " I swear, on my next turn, I am gonna put the fear of _God_ into you and your cronies, you Tomb Raider wannabe!"

" Ouch, that one hurt." Don Zaloog grimaced.

" It'll more than hurt when I'm through with you!"

" Sure, sure." The silver-haired man waved off the threat. " A bratty teenager who thinks his cards can talk to him is threatening me." Behind him, the rest of the Dark Scorpions dissolved into snickers. " I'm so scared right now."

" You oughta be!" Chazz glared at the gathered group. How dare they?! How dare they! Now, in his moment of glory, now when he was _finally_ going to prove himself (as what? As _who_? What was the point of all this? Had there ever been a point at all? Yes, yes there was a point. He knew there was a point. It was about honour, and justice, and what was right. It was about breaking a few rules, getting in trouble for exactly the right reason. It was about finally showing that he had changed, that he had something to fight for. It was about showing that Jaden was right, that he was _Chazz_ before he was a Princeton. It was about the friendships he never let himself have before. It was about Syrus.), how dare these bastards come in and ruin it all?! Now, when he finally had the right to challenge someone to a duel (not for fame, not for money, not for revenge or anger or proving himself to two older brothers who cared jack shit about him), how dare they come swooping out of nowhere and ruin his greatest achievement?! Chazz grit his teeth in fury and glared across the dueling area at the smug smirks of the faulty thieves, wishing with all his heart that he could just bypass the duel, march over there, and break Don Zaloog's prominent nose.

" Don't just _take_ that!"

Chazz looked up, surprised.

Lia did not look her best. Her hair was loose and wild, frizzing up in the warm evening air. She was sweaty, and there were dark circles under her eyes, even though Chazz knew she practically overdosed on sleeping pills every night so as to avoid having dreams, which could potentially lead to nightmares. In the pale light of the moon, she looked even frailer and weaker than normal, breakable, almost, and for a split second, Chazz wondered if maybe all his cruel words and jibes at her figure and her attitude hadn't been just a little too harsh. She looked worn and scared and for the first time, Chazz noticed the way her shoulders were shaking, even as she pushed her way through the crowd; away, Chazz noticed, from the stunned Chancellor (so she _had_ managed to do her part. At the sound of her scream about half-an-hour ago, Chazz had wondered if maybe she hadn't fainted dead away from fright and become useless to them all). For another instant of self-reflection (he seemed to be having a lot of those lately) Chazz wondered if he shouldn't offer to steady her.

And then she opened her mouth.

" Are you just gonna sit there and take this shit from a buncha _hacks_?" She snarled, and all thoughts of her looking delicate and scared flew from his mind. Lia was as she had always been: Angry, proud, and more than capable of taking on an army with banners and tanks, using little more than her sharp wit and even sharper tongue.

" I mean, _god_ Chazz, I knew you were an idiot, but a coward too?"

" Just shut up!" He snapped, but knew full well that Lia was on a roll.

" Make me! All you've done since this thing started is sit – er, stand here, and take everything these bastards have been dishing out! Instead of bitching at me, why don't you _grow a pair_ and beat them?"

" Why don't you buy a bolt and shut that trap of yours?!"

" Why don't you come with me, and we can get the bolt sized to fit that huge gaping maw you call a mouth?!"

" Why don't you go jump off that cliff over there?!"

" Why don't you jump in the volcano!"

" Ladies first!"

" Age before beauty!"

" Oh, sweetie, if you think you qualify as a beauty, then you seriously need to look in a mirror."

" Don't call me sweetie, you arrogant sonovabitch!"

" French Slut!

" Egocentric Jackass!"

" Social Leper!"

" _What_ did you just call me?!"

" Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were deaf as well as ugly and flat! I said-"

" I'm about three seconds away from kicking your ass from here to Shanghai!"

" I would _love_ to see you try it!"

" Well, maybe I will!"

" That's fine by me!

" Fine!

" Fine!"

" _Fine_!"

" _Fine_!"

" Um, excuse me…" Don Zaloog cautiously raised a hand, but Chazz and Lia whipped around, fixing him with a death glare each.

" _Stay outta this_!"

" Is all this bickering really necessary?" The pretty woman behind Zaloog asked, tilting her thorned whip back and forth a trifle menacingly. " Shouldn't you be focused on the duel?"

" Hey, this is what we do, okay?!" Chazz snarled. " We bicker!"

" I mean, what else would we do?" Lia snapped, glaring at the woman.

" You could try getting along." The hulking mass of muscle beside the woman suggested. Lia and Chazz froze, looked at each other, and flinched.

"Me get along with her?!"

" Me get along with him?!"

There was a significant pause, before the two shrieked in unison:

" No way in Hell!"

" Oh, like I'd want to work with a jerk like you."

" At least I'm capable of attracting the opposite gender!"

" That's what it always comes back to with you, doesn't it? All you think about is sex! You are such a _guy_!"

" Yeah, and that means that I won't be attracted to you in the least!"

" There's more to life than sex, Chazz!"

" The only people that think that are the ones that aren't getting any!"

" It's called having _taste_ and _standards_!"

" No, it's called being unattractive!"

" Tact is a foreign concept to you, isn't it?"

" I can be tactful. Just with pretty people."

" I swear Chazz, one more crack at my attractiveness, and I will-"

" I summon the one and only, Don Zaloog!"

Lia whipped around again, her eyes flashing, angry at the interruption of the fighting that Chazz wouldn't really call fighting anymore.

" Hey, we're in the middle of something her-"

But Chazz, who had had a sinking feeling about the Dark Scorpions ever since he'd heard their name, darted forward and pulled Lia around behind him before she could finish the sentence. She squawked in protest, something Chazz could not hold against her (after all, he hadn't grabbed her with the intention of being gentle. It had been a knee-jerk reaction, to reach out, grab her arm, and yank her out of harm's way, because for all Lia was angry and proud and a strong individual, she was still a fourteen-year-old Academic, who had no idea what, exactly, she was getting herself into, and Chazz knew, from first hand experience, that, when placed under enough stress, Lia would mostly likely give, and there was no way that was going to end well. So Chazz grabbed and put himself in between her and whatever Don Zaloog, who had just played a card that bore an image that looked suspiciously familiar, was going to do.), but did not move.

Across from him, the silver haired man took a step forward, out of the position of the duelist, and into the place where most monsters stood for the duration of the duel. From his arrogant, and slightly toothy smirk, Chazz supposed he thought himself clever, being able to pull such a swift move while his opponent had been otherwise occupied. Behind him, the rest of his group stirred in anticipation, the bespeckled one with the knife eyeing the top of Lia's brown head. Chazz shifted slightly to the left, and blocked her from view.

" You have got to be kidding me." He heard one member of the crowd (sounding suspiciously like Brier Tampkin from Ra Yellow. But Chazz didn't dare take his eyes off his opponent long enough to check.)

" And when I say one and only, children," the man across from him leered, " I mean _one and only_. From you see, my children, I _am_ Don Zaloog."

" Wait, what?"

" I don't get it."

" He can't do that! He's not a card!"

" What's going on? I'm confused."

The crowd surrounding the duelists shifted and stirred in collective confusion. Behind him, pressed very lightly against his back, Lia made a small sound of puzzlement, peeking her head out from over his shoulder to eye the strange man. Subtly, Chazz rolled his shoulder, and stepped back slightly, forcing Lia to step with him and lose sight of the duelist turned monster that was facing him. Somewhere in the crowd, Chazz was sure he heard Sheppard trying to calm down the masses of students. He had been woken, no doubt, by Lia's shriek and drawn to the duel by the sheer amount of noise and the bright, flashing lights. Chazz took a deep breath, forcing himself to ignore the sounds of the students meandering around him, the taunting laughter of his opponent, even the slight sound of Lia's uneven breathing at his back, as he clutched his cards in his hand, trying very hard not to let them shake.

" And not just me, children, but all of us!" The man in front of him whipped a card onto place on the duel disk. " I play Mustering of the Dark Scorpions. Want to take a guess at what it does?"

" Surprise me." Chazz murmured, more focused on the faint, but very really hissing that was coming, for once not from the crowd, from the deck at his wrist.

" It means that I can summon all the Dark Scorpions in my hand. So come join me, my Scorpions!" He slapped down four other cards into the outline places on the disk. Behind him, the four other thieves rushed into action, darting forward to stand at his side as if they had really just appeared in the dazzle of lights that usually heralded a monster coming to the field, instead of simply running over.

Despite himself, Chazz gave a slight shudder at the look of deranged delight in Zaloog's eyes as his band gathered around him.

" Roll call." He said, and the four around him moved to pose.

" What did the boss say about rolls?" The largest one hefted his weapon, a huge morning star-like weapon with an axe blade on the side. The group, as well as the gathered students, sweat dropped.

" He meant say your name, Gorg." The woman sighed. " Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I keep you around at all." She eyed Chazz across the field, resting her whip carefully against her shoulder.

" I'm Mina the Thorn." She casually tossed her head so that her russet bangs fell out of her eyes. " Careful, I bite."

" Down, Mina." Don Zaloog grinned at her.

The little blond shrimp with the large hammer strapped to his back began bouncing on his feet.

" I'm Jake the Yellow." He announced in a voice that was just starting to crack. " I'm six-foot…when I jump up."

" Stop that." Mina hissed at him, and he landed on his feet, looking rather downtrodden.

The last person in line, the creepy guy with the glasses raised his dagger up and grinned in a way that showed his teeth.

" And I'm Cliff, the Trap Remover. If you wanna know how I remove 'em, just ask the little lady back there."

Behind the shining glass of his spectacles, Chazz saw a set of dark eyes trail over Lia, who had stepped out from behind Chazz to get a better look at the opponents turned monsters that had the whole student body whispering. Abruptly, as her gaze met Cliff's, she shrank back, shaking slightly. Chazz wondered at the strange behaviour, and looked closer at Lia's clothes, noticing, for the first time, the small rip right along her shoulder. Across the field, still leering at her, Cliff tilted the dagger up so that it caught the moonlight.

" Hey!" Chazz snapped, drawing the gaze away from Lia. " Nobody's allowed to mess with the French Bitch but me, got it? So just back off."

" I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted." Lia muttered, eyeing him with trepidation.

" Just shut up, and let me do my job, would ya?" Chazz didn't even bother to look at her.

" What, standing here and staring down your opponent?"

" Just shut up, and go stand in the crowd."

" Why should I?"

" Because that guy obviously freaks you out!" Chazz snapped, turning to look at her. Lia quelled slightly, not, as many near enough to hear Chazz's voice assumed, from the tone he used, but from the words themselves. Mentally, Chazz kicked himself for sounding so concerned.

" Look at you." He sniffed, looking down the curve of his nose at her. " You're shaking like a leaf. It's a little embarrassing to have you hanging on me throughout the whole duel, so if you don't mind backing off, that'd be great."

" Hanging on you?!" Lia let go of the loose material of his sleeve, he noticed with a smirk. " Who's hanging on you?!"

" Well, I know I'm such a catch and all, but if you really think you've got a shot with me-OW!"

She smacked him upside the head, and then stormed off to the fringes of the crowd, all of whom gave her a wide berth. Rubbing the back of his head, and grumbling about stupid girls who couldn't take a joke, Chazz turned back to his rather dumbstruck opponents.

" Mina…" Jake whispered, " …are…are all girls like that?"

Mina reached over without looking and smacked him upside the head.

* * *

Hey everyone!

Cheer! Cheer for the development! Cheer for the fact that I am _finally_ getting back to fleshing out our friend Chazz. He has been waiting very patiently-

Lia: If you call banging on her door every ten minutes, demanding she write him in more patiently

- (glares) _patiently_ for this turn of events. And now you can all see where Chazz is, and has been, coming from! I really like writing the Chazz in this story, because there are so many layers that the dub left unexplored, and he's, as I've said, a really tragic character when you think about it. and here he is, finally doing the right thing. Of course, this is gonna be very fun to play with when the Society of Light rolls around. (evil grin, rubs hands together menacingly).

Anywho, I don't there much in this chapter that isn't self explanatory...aren't Lia and Chazz's little spats just so much fun? I had so much fun writing that.

MoS


	44. The Journey

Warnings: A little Lia abuse...physical this time, not emotionally. Don't worry, I'm saving THAT for Year Two. And Chazz. The standard warning apply.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year One: The Academic**

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" Can you see anything?"

" Didn't you already ask me that?"

" Yeah."

" And when you did, about five minutes ago, what was my answer?"

" Um, you said no."

" So if my answer was no five minutes ago, what makes you think it might have changed?"

" …Optimism?"

" Well, there is that."

" Sorry, it's just…all this blackness…it makes me nervous."

" Makes me nervous too."

" It's just so…"

" Thick?"

" Yeah. Heavy, like it's…it's really…"

" There? Like you can reach out and touch it?"

" Yeah. So you feel it too?"

" Of course. Hard not to."

" Yeah. …I mean, even the air is…thick."

" I know what you mean. It doesn't even really feel like air, does it?"

" Nothing feels like it should down here. The air feels wrong, the shadows feel like they're alive, even my heart sounds…like it's hollow or something."

" I know, I know. But what did you expect? A walk through a flowery meadow with the sun shining?"

" Well, no. But still. Don't' you think it's…weird?"

" Of course it's weird. We're completely surrounded by wicked shadow magic. It's a miracle we're still standing."

" Wait, why are we still standing?"

" No clue."

" Really?"

" Yes really. Would you stop doubting me?"

" Sorry. I'm just…"

" Nervous, I know. I am too."

" How much longer, do you think?"

" Until what? We find the gate? We can put these stupid keys to use?"

" Until we have to face those Beasts."

" …Not too long, I guess."

" I mean, we've been walking for a while now."

" I know."

" And it's not like we've come across anything."

" Yeah, it's weird."

" All there is is stones and these stairs that just seem to go on forever."

" Maybe they do."

" Huh?"

" Maybe they go on forever. Maybe they never stop. Maybe they don't lead anywhere."

" You're not making any sense."

" No, no hear me out, okay? Maybe these stairs go on forever. Maybe they don't actually lead anywhere. Maybe that's the trick to it."

" Trick to what?"

" Getting past this level of security."

" Security."

" Yeah. You don't think Sheppard and Kaiba would just leave the Spirit Gates out in the open, even under the school, do ya?"

" No. There would have to be some sort of trap, to stop people if they ever got his far."

" Exactly."

" But, if that's true…how do we get past it?"

" Um, well, lessee…the stairs don't lead anywhere…but we have to get to the Spirit Gates…damn, how do we do this?"

" It's too bad we didn't ask Professor Banner. He mighta known something."

" We couldn't get any teachers involved, you know that."

" I think Professor Banner mighta understood."

" Yeah, but we couldn't take that risk. If he wasn't on our side, he'da gone straight to Sheppard, and then where would we be?"

" Not here, that's for sure."

" Yeah, you got that right."

" So how do we get out of here, then?"

" I'm trying to figure that out. I mean, what's the point of having these stairs if they don't lead anywhere?"

" Maybe…"

" What?"

" It's just…you're right."

" Whaddya mean?"

" I mean, you're right about the stairs. Why have them if they don't lead anywhere?"

" Yeah, lotta good that does us."

" No, think about it. These stairs _can't_ lead nowhere. They have to go _somewhere_."

" But how does that help us?"

" What if the _somewhere_ these stairs lead is the _somewhere_ we have to be in order to get to the gates?"

" But how will we know where this _somewhere_ is if the stairs go on forev-ER!"

Jaden let out an undignified yelp as his foot surged through what should have been the solid rock of the next step down and dangled dangerously over the endless black chasm that hung below them. Jaden, despite his bravado going into the crypt that housed the Spirit Gates, felt his face pale considerably as he glanced over the edge of the stone steps.

" Oh crap." He whispered, slowly pulling his leg back out of the stone. " Oh crap, oh crap, ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrap!"

" Jaden," Chumley asked softly, " do you need any help?"

" If you could pull me back _away_ from certain doom, that'd be great, Chum."

Reaching forward, but being very careful not to touch the deceptive step in anyway, Chumley extended his hand to the very cautious Jaden, who grabbed it, and was yanked back onto solid ground, where he collapsed, breathing hard. Chumley looked warily over at the step.

" Uh, Jay?" He asked slowly, but Jaden appeared not to have heard him. The other boy panted, hauling himself up by resting all his weight against the uneven stone behind him. Struggling to remain upright on his still shaking legs (Chumley assumed that they were shaking from the sound of Jaden's knees knocking together. Neither boy could see anything beyond the tip of their own nose in the gloomy, hanging darkness. He'd reached forward blindly, in that split second ago, and how Jaden ever managed to find his hand under the cover of the thick shadows, Chumley would never know) Jaden leaned heavily on the wall, edging his way forward until his bent knee gently brushed Chumley's side.

" Okay, let's _not_ do that again, okay?" Jaden tried to grin at Chumley (his usual, charismatic, easy-going grin that no one, not even the most hard-hearted Obelisk, could ever fully resist), but the effect was basically lost since all Chumley could see of Jaden was the faint outline of his body.

" Jaden." Chumley murmured, not taking his gaze off the trick step below them. " I think…"

" What?" But there was no joke in Jaden's voice, no hint of the tease that had been there only seconds before. For all Chumley couldn't see Jaden's face, the other boy had no trouble picturing it in his mind: The grimly set lines around the mouth; the somber, serious eyes that Jaden almost never displayed, that made him seem so much older and stronger than his fifteen years; even the bared, tiny little twitch of the muscles of his jaw, slowly working with each swallow he made.

" I think we're here."

**_**

It was easy, Lia supposed.

Easier than it should have been at any rate.

They'd decided early on (well, she had insisted and demanded, and basically chewed all the others out until they'd yielded and let her do as she pleased. Hell, Chazz had been all for her staking out the safe that held the only true Spirit key, but she suspected that had more to do with the fact that he didn't particularly care about what happened to her, rather than liking her enough to let her have her way) that she would be the one to go and get Sheppard out of his office and drag him as far away as possible. (Hopefully, to where Chazz was dueling the idiots who thought they were being clever. Lia shook her head, and wondered exactly how embarrassed the Dark Scorpions were going to be once they'd figured out that they'd been had by a bunch of school kids.)

Lia herself had had a bit of a hidden agenda in the works; something she'd been forced to share with Chazz once it had become apparent that he wasn't about to let her run off early without an explanation. While going into vague detail about what it was exactly that she wanted to achieve, Lia supposed it was a bit of load off of her mind – knowing that someone actually knew where she was and what she was doing, on the off chance that something might go wrong. But really, with a bunch of hacks like the Dark Scorpions, what could go wrong?

She hadn't counted on the knife.

_Lia blinked as she looked around, carefully stepping lightly, almost afraid that breathing too hard might trip some sort of alarm system, and then the whole plan would be ruined. She leaned against the wall next to the safe that held Professor Banner's Spirit Key (the only one that really was a Spirit Key, Lia reminded herself; no one had bothered to make a copy of the alchemy teacher's key, and once the group had seen exactly __**where**__ the man was hiding it, no one had stepped forward to volunteer their lock cracking services.), and tried very hard not to think too hard._

" _Bien, réagissent simplement. N'agissez pas, ne feignez pas, laissez juste la réaction naturelle.__" She paused, running her fingers through her bangs as she tried to push them out of her eyes. " Oh, __pourquoi est-ce que je fais ceci?__" Hissing to herself, she pushed off the wall. " English, Lia. You have to speak English, no matter how much stress you are under. English is used everywhere. English is universal. French is not universal. You are bilingual. Use that skill!"_

_Still muttering derogatory comments to herself under her breath, Lia crossed and re-crossed the room, pacing back and forth as she tried to relieve some of the stress that had build up in her system. By her third circling of the room, she had degenerated down into coating her English with a heavy, almost incomprehensible French accent._

" _Zis iz complement stupid. Whai would 'e evun t'eenk of such a t'ing? Eet iz so…so…fou! Zis is exactly zee sort of t'ing zat will get uz keecked out of zis place! And 'e doeznut evun offer ap 'is own key! No, 'e says. Ah will kip zis blasted t'ing orund mon neck! Stupid, arrogan, leetle boy! Ah dunt know 'ow 'e managed to talk me into zis!"_

_With an angry huff, she sank down against the wall by the safe, sliding down until she slowly touched the carpet. With a second huff, she pulled her legs up to her chin and looped her arms over them, resting her chin on them, looking out onto the darkened room._

" _Zis iz stupid." She muttered, knowing full well that no one could hear her. Pressing her head deeper into her arms, she let her eyes slide closed as she took in the quiet of the room._

'_Il a été un à long temps…puisqu'il a été tellement silencieux…__'_

_Quietly, more to pass the time than anything else, Lia began humming softly. The sound crept into the room, reaching around all the dark little corners until the room didn't seem so big or empty anymore. Lia was only half aware of what she was doing, only partially aware that it was her own voice singing the song. In her mind, her own voice was changed to an aged, croaking old voice, rolling the 'r's deeper and far fuller than Lia, raised half in America, ever could hope to manage._

" _La rainette dit sa chanson de nuit et le lièvre fuit sans un bruit__." Lia smiled softly as the old lyrics made their way into her head. "__ Doucement, doucement. Doucement s'en va le jour. Doucement, doucement. À pas de velours_."

_" What are you doing in here?"_

_Startled from her song, Lia leapt up, cracking her head painfully off of the wall behind her. Swearing colourfully, she rubbed the injured area, roving her eyes up to glare at the cause of her surprise. The new security guard, the strange man with the glasses, who had been watching very carefully as Banner had place his Spirit Key into the safe, stood before her, flashlight in one hand, and a strangle mix of shock and irritation evident on his face. Inwardly, Lia rolled her eyes at how obvious he had been and continued to be, but remembered (almost too late, judging by the look on the man's face) that she had a job to do._

" _Ah'm lookeeng for Professeur Banner." She cursed inwardly as her accent came out much thicker than she intended it to. " Ah," she coughed, " …__**I**__ don't supposed you've seen him?"_

" _What are you doing in the staff room?" The man asked, shifting ever so slightly to block the door. Something twisted unpleasantly in Lia's stomach, but she forced it down. Now, she firmly told her traitorous, coward of a stomach, was not the time for panic._

" _Students aren't allowed in here without permission from a teacher." The man continued, sweeping his flashlight around the room, looking for another person. When his search yielded nothing, a slow, rather disturbing grin crept up onto his face for a second before he controlled it. The sight of it made Lia's stomach twist into a knot again. This time, she couldn't quite find the firmness of mind to force it to undo itself._

" _I __**told**__ you," She said, exasperatedly (much more exasperatedly than she should have let slip into her tone so early on into the conversation. She fervently hoped he would chalk it up to a previous irritation at not being able to find Professor Banner, or else her hormones, like so many people seemed to be willing to do), " I was looking for Professor Banner."_

" _In the staff room?" The man looked skeptical._

" _Well, this __**is**__ where the teachers hang out, right?" Lia snapped, far more defensive than she should be. God, she hoped he was one of those adults who simply chalked every irrational thing teenagers did up to erratic hormones._

" _This late at night?"_

" _Yeah, well, I don't see __**you**__ coming up with any other suggestions, now do I?" Lia hissed at him, her eyes sparking and her stomach flipping over itself, knotting up all the way. She was too angry, too scared, and if she kept spouting out lines like this, without thinking, she knew she was going to screw it all up, and then they'd never get Syrus back._

" _Hey, hey, take it easy." The man held up his hands in a sign of surrender, and Lia thought she saw something metallic glint in between the material of his uniform and the skin of his wrist. " I wasn't accusing you of anything."_

" _I…" Lia forced herself to take a breath, and ignored the warning bells that went off in her head as the man took a half a step closer to her, still blocking the door. He was eyeing the safe, and Lia, praying to God that she wasn't being overly conspicuous, laid back against the wall, and let her body fall so that it blocked the safe. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers over the bridge of her nose, pretending to ward off a headache, when she was really fighting to keep the contents of her stomach down where it belonged._

" _I'm just…tired." She took a deep breath. " I've been looking for Professor Banner for hours now and…I'm just seriously stressed out, you know?"_

" _What did you need him for?" The voice was much closer than she expected, and Lia fought to keep her eyes from flying open and her body from bolting away. The man was right in front of her, the friendly smile on his face not quite hiding the sinister look in his eyes._

_And then his question registered._

' _Merde. Merde__!' She thought. ' __Je n'ai jamais pensé à n'importe quoi pour dire__!'_

_No one but Chazz knew she was here. She was only supposed to get Sheppard out of his office. Nobody had said anything about checking up on the only true Spirit Key. But Lia had had a gut feeling, and she had decided to be stupid and go look, and why in God's name had she waited so long?! She was going to screw everything up. Her stomach twisted painfully._

" _I…" She tried, but nothing came out. The man reached forward. "…I…uh…I…" A hand clamped onto her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly, but Lia could see the way he planted his feet, and gripped her arm just a little too tight for it to be a comforting gesture. She could almost see how his mind was working. Desperately, before he had the chance to throw her to the side (what good would her meager weight and lack of muscle be? Not for the first time, she wished she was built more like Tanya.), she blurted out the first thing that came to mind._

" _I wanted to thank him!"_

_There was a stunned pause, in which the man's grip lessen just the slightest bit, and Lia wondered if it was a good time to try and make a defensive move. But then, she supposed, the man had muscles, and she did not, and attacking him was just asking for trouble. So she continued to ramble on, eyeing the door through the cover of her unruly bangs, leaning her body just the tiniest bit towards the door and shifting her weight onto the balls of her feet._

" _You see, he took my Photography class on a field trip with his Duel Alchemy class a few weeks ago, and I got these really awesome shots and I wanted to thank him for giving me the opportunity to get them. I mean, they were really awesome shots, really incredible. There's this one, of the mountain, and it's so dark and beautiful against the sky, because the sky is blue. I mean, of course the sky is blue, but is __**so**__ blue, if you know what I mean. Do you know what I mean?" She pressed down on the balls of her feet, every muscle ready to spring in her slim, rather weak body. She just needed to keep him off guard for a few more seconds. " It was so beautiful and nice and I got so many great pictures that I just felt like I should thank him, but I haven't been able to find him, and I didn't get the pictures developed until a little while ago, so that's why I haven't thanked him yet, because I didn't know I had to, but after seeing those pictures, well, I just thought it would be rude not to." She pushed off the wall a little, bracing her hands against it. " I mean, the class thanked him formally, of course, but I wanted to do it on a more personal, person to person level, you know? So, I went looking for him after I developed the pictures tonight. I develop my own pictures, you know. I have full use of the dark room on campus. The teacher gave me the keys. Isn't this school awesome?" She pushed fully off the wall, all her weight thrown forward as she made to get past the fake security guard and get out the door._

_Only to end up being thrown against one of the wayward chairs of the room as she was pushed violently to the floor. Pain exploded on her side as the chair dug into her ribs, and she grit her teeth, opening one eyes to observe the man stepping over her sprawled legs and making his way to the safe that, up until seconds ago, her body had blocked._

" _What the hell?!" She snarled, more out of temper than anything else. Anger at being shoved to the side, and the pain in her abdomen had her on her feet and grabbing at the man as he fiddled with the lock on the safe. Without really thinking, she pulled his shoulder back just a little, and raised her other hand, palm flat, into the air, ready to slap him._

_There was a flash of silver, and then cold metal at her throat._

" _I wouldn't." The man said casually, pressing the blade of his dagger lightly against her beating pulse. " I don't like hurting kids, but I like getting slapped even less. It's been a long week, and I really don't anything adding to my stress levels, okay? So just back off like a good girl and no one gets hurt."_

" _You use that key to unlock one of those gates and everybody gets hurt." Lia snarled with more courage than she felt. The blade was frigid against her skin, and her stomach was so knotted she could actually feel the tangles pressing against her ribs._

" _Oh, a smartass." The man observed. " Been a while since I met one o' those. Let's see how many smartass comments you can make if I messed up that pretty little mouth of your with this knife, huh?"_

_He raised the dagger menacingly, and Lia's stomach dropped out from under her. He teasingly pointed the gleaming blade at her, and tapped her cheek lightly, but Lia, already terrified by his threats, nerves frayed beyond the breaking point by the combination of Syrus, Jaden's plan, and the sheer amount of stupidity she's managed to use in the entire affair, finally listened to her still twisting stomach._

_She let out an ear-splitting scream, and knocked the dagger away from her face. It bit into her fingers a little, and in a attempt to silence her shriek, the man grabbed her shoulder, shaking her, swearing in her ear and promising all sort of horrible things if she did not shut up. But he had forgotten the dagger she'd knocked away from her face, and as the hand hold it shot out to grab her shoulder, the blade slide seamlessly over the material of her top and drew a thin line of red across her skin._

_More out of shock, than terror, Lia shoved him away from her (now was the time to panic, she told her stomach, and said panic lent to her a strength she could never have achieved when she was in her right state of mind), kicked away the leg that blocked her, and ducked the hand that made to snatch her as she tore off for the door. The fingers entangled, for a second, in her hair, but she tossed her head back, and they came lose._

_She spun around the corner, heading down the long, dark hallway, ignoring the vicious swearing that echoed out of the staff room behind her._

Lia shudder, not out of cold, as she watched the Dark Scorpions vanish in little fluttering lights, rubbing her shoulder, and cursing when her frantic fingers brushed over the long, thin wound exposed by her hanging shirt. With another curse, she squeezed her hand over the shoulder, wincing when the cut on her fingers brushed the cut on her shoulder.

" Hey."

She looked up, blowing the hair out of her face as Chazz approached her through the dissipating crowd (who really had no idea what was going on, but was just glad that Chazz had beaten the weirdoes and that they had apparently disappeared). Lia took him in for a second, from his dark hair to his gray eyes to his ratty-ended black jacket. Somewhere, in the back of her head that wasn't entirely numb from the combination of shock and fear and adrenaline, she acknowledged that there was something different in the way he held himself.

"Good job." She muttered, feeling awkward offering him a compliment. Yelling at him was so much easier.

" What did he do to you?"

She looked at him sharply, trying very hard to hide the shameful and guilty blush that threatened to explode over her face.

" What do you care?"

He scoffed.

" I don't. But I need to know where you're hurt if we're going to hide it from the others."

" Hide it?" Lia asked slowly, watching Sheppard approach through the corner of her eye.

" The others will have my head if they find out what I let you do." Chazz ran a hand through his black locks. " Honestly, how stupid can you be?"

" It's not…I just…" Lia blew another strand of hair out of her face as Chazz raised an eyebrow in response to her stammering. "…I'm sorry, alright?"

" Save it for someone who cares, French Bitch." Chazz grabbed her shoulder. She hissed, but he ignored it." Now look alive, Sheppard is coming, and I think the Slacker needs a bit more time."

" And how do you suggest we buy him that time?" She snapped at him under her breath, watching the Chancellor drawing nearer. " I've got nothing."

" Can you cry on command?" Chazz hissed, leaning close, pretending to inspect her shoulder while hissing in her ear. Lia was, for an instant, reminded of that day over Christmas Break, but Chazz breath smelled of minty toothpaste, not Jack Daniels, so she forced her shoulder to untighten.

" No." She said through gritted teeth.

" You do now." Chazz mutter back, and dug his thumbnail painfully into her scratch, twisting it back and forth until tears sprung into her eyes.

And later, after she had been pushed, crying (sobbing later, as Chazz had inconspicuously pinched the skin of the back of her thigh, and she'd thought about her father's funeral and the prospect of being forced to move from her grandparents' home to Gauvin's vineyard) against a startled Sheppard while Chazz explained (made up on the spot) exactly what Cliff the Trap Remover had done to her (Chazz hadn't _quite_ made it into a threat on her life, but he had certainly added in a lot more knife play on Cliff's part than had actually occurred), Lia acknowledged that Chazz was rather good at thinking on his feet.

She even contemplated telling him so.

Once she had broken both his legs, or course.

* * *

Sorry for the hiatus people, but missing that school due to sickness finally got up with me, as did the test I had in Soc and the smaller assignments in the other classes. University is hard, but damn if it isn't fun.

So here we have the continuation of the 'Rescue Syrus' Arc. And these up coming chapters are some of my favourites. And we get to see Lia actually doing something _stupid_! Honestly, I kept thinking and thinking about what I wanted her to do in this chapter, and this finally came to me. It's finally Lia's turn to make an idiot of herself while trying to do the right thing. She's been the logical one for far too long. I love how dumb that plan of hers really is, and I love how it's _Chazz_ who's left to comfort her. Because Chazz is so good at comforting people.

I tried really hard in the chapter to show the change in Chazz, because it's easier to see from other people's perspectives. Here, Chazz is being rather nice, and not going out of his way to be cruel to her. His " Tell it to someone who cares, French Bitch." is less of an insult, and more of a reassurence. Lia, right now, needs something familiar to cling to, and Chazz is offering her that. He's being actually really nice, but he's good at hiding it, now isn't he?

Translations?

_Il a été un à long temps…puisqu'il a été tellement silencieux _- It's been a long time...since it was so quiet.

_La rainette dit sa chanson de nuit et le lièvre fuit sans un bruit__.__ Doucement, doucement. Doucement s'en va le jour. Doucement, doucement. À pas de velours_. - The tree fron says it's night song and the hare leaves without a sound. Slowly/Gently, slowly/gently. Slowly/Gently leaves the day. Slowly/Gently, slowly/gently. A step of velvet.

This is apparently a French lullaby. At least, I typed that in in the search engine, and this is one of the things I got. I thought it was pretty, and it sorta relates to the situation. Lia has to go 'slowly/gently' in the room, or risk being caught, as does everyone else. Plus, the idea of Lia singing a French lullaby to herself in order to keep herself calm is kinda cute.

Okay, the next two chapters are on their way!

MoS


	45. The Leap

Warnings: The triumphant return of Alexis' fury, Chazz and Zane being...somewhat unhelpful. Okay, very unhelpful. Damnit Chazz, stop using Lia as a distraction!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_.

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**Year One: The Academic**

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When Alexis came stumbling down to see a nearly hysterical Lia, with tears in her eyes and a trembling lower lip that the blonde was sure had been bitten savagely in the last few hours, she didn't really think about her actions. With her worry about Atticus (still comatose on his hospital bed, but without the breathing mask), and Syrus (God, what if the plan didn't work, and they couldn't get him out and he was trapped with those beasts forever?), and Jaden (what if he got trapped too? What were they – hell, what was _she_- going to do without him there to brighten everything up and make it seem like it would all be okay again?), her nerves were already raked completely raw, and even the renewal of a healthy and friendly relationship with Zane couldn't take the edge of her panic. So when she saw Lia's shaky form, saw the way her shoulders shook badly, despite the warmth of the late April air on the tropic island (was that a rip in her top?), Alexis really didn't think about what happened next.

She was beside Lia in an instant, grabbing a hold of her, and yanked her away from a surprised looking Sheppard and an eerily calm Chazz, holding her closer as she inspected the tear in the green shirt Lia had on. At the sight of the thin, but very real, line of red that had long ago stopped bleeding, Alexis felt her nerves wear just a little thinner.

" What. Happened." She said slowly, glaring up at Chazz over Lia's frizzy head. Beside her, although she barely took notice of it, Lia slumped down, hanging her head guiltily. As Zane walked up, Alexis saw his head turn to Lia from the corner of her eye.

" Nothing serious." Chazz answer, but quelled under the older girls furious gaze.

" Nothing serious?" Alexis snapped, her knuckles going to white as her nails dug into Lia's arm. The younger girl flinched, and distantly registered her slight whimper of pain. Having never known Lia to be such a wimp, Alexis had to wonder if the whole thing wasn't an act put on to fool Sheppard. Then she remembered the cut on the shoulder, and rational thoughts fled her mind.

" She's hurt!" Alexis jostled Lia slightly to make her point. " She's hurt and I want to know why!"

" She got on the wrong side of one of the Dark Scorpions." Chazz explained through gritted teeth, letting his eyes stray to Sheppard, then to Lia, and then back to Alexis. Behind her, Alexis felt Zane stiffen up in understanding, and take a half step closer.

" What do you mean, 'the wrong side'?" Alexis growled. " What was she even doing _near_ one of those guys?"

" Lia just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." Sheppard tried to appease the irrational blonde.

" What does _that_ mean?" Alexis did not feel appease.

" She just ran into one of the members of the Dark Scorpions by accident."

" Accident?" Alexis dug her nails in deeper. " _Accident_? How does a fourteen-year-old girl _accidentally_ run into a member of a gang of thieves late at night in a _high school_?"

" She was trying to return a piece of equipment." Sheppard took a step back, rather disturbed by Alexis' anger. " She was just walking down the hall, and she ran into the man."

Alexis opened her mouth to protest, but jumped back as a steady, strong hand clamped down on her wrist. Turning a bit, she looked over her shoulder to see Zane gently, but firmly dislodging her fingers from Lia's arm. They left little indents in the material of her top, and, once free, the brunette took two small steps away from the older girl, putting herself out of grabbing range.

" I wanted to put the key to dark room back." Lia muttered, but there was something in her tone, something shamed and guilty that Alexis had never heard before, not even during Lia's confession on that night way back when.

" I'd…borrowed it earlier and I…I just thought I should put it back." She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. " So I did. But when I…when I left the Photography room…there was this noise down the hall…so I…" Her face heated up here, and she quickly avoided the four pairs of eyes (Sheppard curious; Chazz knowing; Alexis worried and frightened; Zane apathetic) that stared at her. " …So I…"

" Went investigating." Zane finished for her. The swift look he shared with Chazz over the brunette's head made Alexis' eyes narrow, but she let it go, reaching out to place a soft hand on Lia's head.

" And that's when this happened?" She gently tapped the cut. Lia nodded.

" This guy…he was in the staff room…and he was by the safe…and I…well, I thought…"

" You did something stupid, and you paid the price." Chazz rolled his eyes, cutting through Lia's awkward confession. " Way to go, Shanner."

" Chazz, shut up! Can't you see she's scared?" Alexis growled. But for once, her chiding did nothing to stop Chazz. He walked over to where Lia was standing, and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Alexis, and back towards Sheppard. The blonde made a move to stop him, but Zane's hand on her own shoulder stopped her. Looking up at him, she was surprised to find him looking at Chazz, slight smile on his face.

" Have some faith." He mouthed.

" Listen, Chancellor, like I was saying, she's just a little shaken up. No surprise." He gave Lia a once over. " I mean, it's not like she's got an iron constitution here. She looks pretty frail, if you ask me."

For once, Lia did not jump up to insult Chazz back for the slight at her character. If anything, she slumped down more, her shoulders hunching as she slunk away slightly. She was staring at the ground, Alexis noticed, just taking everything Chazz dished out at her.

" Just slap a band-aid on it and make her sleep for about a day, and she'll be back to her normal, bit-" The disapproving glare from Sheppard made him stop. " Er, _spirited_ self in no time."

" Yes, of course." Sheppard nodded. " Did you hear that, Lia? Go straight to bed when you get back to your dorm."

" Oui, Monsieur." Lia whispered.

" Well, I think that's enough excitement for one night." Sheppard laughed, clapping the girl on her uninjured shoulder. " It's off to bed with all of you. Busy day tomorrow." He started to walk off.

Somewhere in her gut, something exploded in panic. Jaden wasn't back yet. That meant he still needed more time. That meant that Sheppard could not be allowed to return to his office any time soon. Blindly, Alexis reached out after the portly man, her fingers just barely brushing the ends of his red coat (she had always wondered why the Chancellor of the school would bedeck himself out on the colours of the Slifer Reds, the weakest and most unimpressive dorm on the campus. To each his own, she had always supposed. Now, after the events of this year, she couldn't help but wonder if it was a way to throw off opponents, by hiding behind a mediocre red coat. After all, more than half of Jaden's opponents underestimated him based solely on the colour of his dorm jacket. And look where that had gotten them.) before she was harshly yanked back by a hand fisted in her shirt.

" Zane!" She hissed as she collided with his chest. " What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

" You're being obvious." He hissed back, wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her still. Chazz, over to the side with a still downtrodden looking Lia, stiffened and glared at the older boy. Both Blues ignored him.

" But he's getting away!"

" I know that." Zane turned his head marginally. " Lia, faint."

Her head shot up.

" What?!" She shouted, and Chazz darted forward to slap a hand over her mouth. Muffled curses could be heard around the appendage before Lia reached up and wrenched it away from her.

" I can't just faint on command, Zane!" She snarled at him in a lower voice. " I just…that's impossible!"

" Unless you want Sheppard to walk in and stop Jaden from saving Syrus-" his voice cracked just a little as he said the name – " you will _make_ it possible!"

" What do you want me to do, fake one?"

" If you have to!"

" He'll know it's fake!"

" Only if you do a terrible job."

" I'm _not_ doing this! I could hurt myself!"

" You've already hurt yourself by running off to play the hero."

" Oh, yeah, like you're one to talk! _You're_ the one who went off to face Camulla _alone_, remember?! If you hadn't insisted on being the bad boy lone wolf, than maybe none of this would have-"

" Oh, for the love of-" Breathing heavily through his nose, Chazz reached back around Lia's head, tapped something on the back of her neck that made her stiffen up, and then stepped out of range as she crumbled to the ground, dead to the world.

Alexis stared for about three seconds at the undignified heap that was her friend, before she let out a shrill and furious shriek that had Sheppard jogging back to see what the problem was. What he came upon was both boys looking on impassively as a kneeling Alexis hauled Lia up to rest on her lap, her head lolling to the side in a manner that would most assuredly lead to a painful crick in the girl's neck. As he approached, still jogging, but slowing down, Zane knelt down next to Alexis, whispering something in her ear. Chazz looked grumpily to the side, trying very hard to ignore the close proximity of the two Obelisks.

" We…we should move her…_somewhere_…" Alexis muttered, trying very hard not reach up and wring Chazz's neck with her bare hands. From the clenching of her fists as she balanced Lia's body, it wasn't working too well.

" What happened?" Sheppard breathed as he came to a full stop by the group.

" She just collapsed." Zane said with a shrug.

" The stress of the day must've gotten to her." Chazz agreed. " To be perfectly fair, she _is_ a year younger than everyone else. I don't' blame her for not having the maturity to handle the situation."

" Well, I can't say I'm shocked that she passed out." Sheppard sighed. " I just thought she might last until she was back in her room. I supposed we should get her out of the night air. We're not too far from the Ra dormitories."

" I'm not carrying her." Chazz muttered as he started walking in the direction of the Yellow dorms.

" I guess I could-" Alexis started, but was cut off.

" I'll take her." Zane said, hefting Lia up without preamble. She fell against him, completely out of it, moaning slightly as her neck gave an unpleasant sounding 'crack' when it landed back in place. "C'mon."

Alexis followed after him, looking suspicious.

" What's going on?" She hissed to the older boy. " Why did Chazz knock Lia out?"

" While Sheppard can leave a shell-shocked student in the care of older, responsible students, he most certainly _can't_ ignore an unconscious young girl left alone with two older boys. It just looks bad."

" But _I'm_ here."

" Yes, but it's a well-known fact that Chazz and Lia don't get along."

" He knocked her out!"

" Keep your voice down. As far as Sheppard is concern, Lia's mind overloaded with stress, and she fainted. Leaving her alone and vulnerable with Chazz, or even me, looks bad to the general public, with or without you being present. What would her father say?"

Alexis froze up.

" Yeah, exactly." Zane apparently took her silence for an agreement. Alexis opened her mouth, and then closed it again, feeling conflicted.

' _It's not my story to tell._' Her mind whispered. ' _She hasn't told anyone about Atticus, really. She…she didn't betray my secret, so why should I betray hers?_'

But still, she could help but wonder if it would be all right, just to tell Zane.

' _Zane's hurting too._' She reasoned. ' _And it's not like he'd treat her any different. But I really shouldn't tell. Lia doesn't like Zane. Having him know…but Zane was my friend first. Zane's always been there for me, and keeping this from everybody is hard. I know Lia will tell everybody eventually. I know she will. And Zane's just gonna find out then. But still…I want to tell someone. Keeping Lia's pain a secret…it hurts a little bit._'

She furrowed her brow.

' _I wonder if keeping __**my**__ pain a secret…hurt Lia just a little?_'

" Goodness, what happened here?"

Bastian came running down the steps of the stairwell leading up to the Ra building. Behind him, watching from one of the bay windows that faced the open field before the ocean, was Brier, who raised an eyebrow as he took in Lia's state. Bastian too, seemed rather shocked that Lia was not up and about, but Alexis managed to catch his eye and shook her head just the tiniest bit, hoping he got the message. When he didn't launch into a tirade of awkward question that might've made Sheppard suspicious (most especially, why Alexis, Zane, Chazz and Lia were all together when she was supposed to be watching Sheppard's office – which had completely slipped her mind once she'd looked down into the crowd from the window and seen how terrible Lia looked – and Lia was supposed to be walking on her own at this point), Alexis assumed he had.

" Your dorm mate here had a bit of a rough night." Sheppard explained cordially. " And it finally too it's toll on her, poor thing."

" Well, she's alright, isn't she?" Bastian leaned over the railing to inspect Lia's still form. She twitched slightly, muttering something in French as she pressed closer to the only source of heat available to her: Zane. Alexis really couldn't help but snicker as a brief look of awkwardness passed over Zane's usually perfectly schooled features.

" Oh, she's fine. Just exhausted." Sheppard sighed. " I think we can all attest to that. What a night."

Bastian nodded sagely.

" Yes, Brier and Beauregard were just telling me I missed a great deal of excitement." He opened one eye to regard Chazz. " I believe that congratulations are in order?"

" Like I need praise from you." Chazz sniffed.

" Charming to the last." Bastian muttered under his breath. " Well, I suppose I should take our dear Sleeping Beauty up to her room." He held out his arms. " If you'll be so kind."

" Sure you can handle it?" Zane teased even as he transferred the girl into Bastian's arms.

" Quite confident." The Brit smirked. He hefted Lia up so that she bounced slightly, whining at the disruption. Chazz rolled his eyes and muttered something unflattering, but froze when Alexis caught his eye. She gave him a dark glare, following swiftly by pointing at herself, driving her fist into the palm of her other hand, and then pointing at him. Chazz gulped as the message of his impending doom made itself clear.

" Bastian, you missed the duel?" Sheppard said, surprised. Bastian grinned back sheepishly.

" Yes. You see I…got caught up with some formulas."

" Oh?" Zane raised an eyebrow.

"Yes you see…I encountered a rather difficult one that…gave me a little trouble."

" But you solved it?"

Bastian's smirk was just a trifle forced.

" Oh yes. It just…wasn't the solution I was hoping for."

The banter might have continued back and forth for a while, and Sheppard might have caught onto the code the boys were using to ask questions regarding the plan, had the world, at the particular moment, as Bastian started up the stairs with a comatose Lia in his arms, decided to explode in a series of rumbling tremours and rolling waves.

As she went tumbling forward, shrieking loudly, Alexis could only wonder as to what Jaden had managed to do now.

**_**

Jaden jumped.

It was really, as far as he could see, the only option available to them. The trick stair, the one that he and Chumley had determined had to be the 'place where the endless stairs led', was the only foreseeable way to finding the Spirit Gates and completing the mission all of them (from the reluctant Lia to the desperate Zane) had their hopes banking on. And Jaden, the heroic boy he was slowly turning out to be (he vaguely wondered if he'd ever been such a hero before. He'd never had to face circumstances like the one he had to now, so he supposed that there was no surefire way of finding out), was not about to let anyone but himself (the orchestrator of the plan, the one who had to run the risk) face whatever it was that waited down in that dark, horrific black hole beneath them.

So he jumped.

He did it without warning, so Chumley would have no chance to stop him. A split second hesitation, in which he told Chumley that he would be right back, and then he'd braced his weight against the stone of the real step under him (which, thank God, didn't give way to a bottomless pit of darkness when he put his foot on it) and let his body fall forward, plunging head first into what looked like solid stone.

It didn't give for a fraction of a second, and Jaden wondered, horrified, if there was a time limit to the stair, and, having missed the deadline, the step had hopped to some other point in the endless downwards spiral of stones to wait for him. Then his nose slipped through, into a cool, liquidy, but not really liquid, cushion, and his face followed.

The strange…whatever it was that surrounded him rippled as the rest of his body sunk through the trick step, coating his ears and drowning out Chumley surprised and frightened shout. It let his body slide through, because that was the only way Jaden could find to accurately describe the movement of his body as the substance around his slipped over and under his form. He had no sense of colour or brightness, because his eyes were closed, which was strange, because he didn't remember closing them. When he tried to force his lids open, the substance pushed back against the muscles of his eyelids, and shut them up again, almost as though it was sentient. From the brief flash he had managed to see, the world around him right now was as dark as it was with his eyes closed.

The stuff felt…cold he supposed, but not really cold, more like a cool, whispering jello, sifting over his form and through his splayed fingers and about his legs. He was still floating head first in the substance, and it brushed past his face in a non-threatening manner. Jaden imagined something like water, only thicker, and heavier.

A chill went through him as his dream came rush back.

_He fell to his hands and knees, submerged up to his elbows in the black water (was it water, it felt too thick, too full, too alive and burning and hot to be water), staining his red jacket to ebony…_

He trembled lightly in the substance, trying very hard not to think of Syrus as the great blue moon, hanging high above where anyone could reach him, and the crashing of the waves on the shore being the roars of the hungry Sacred Beasts, too strong and too ferocious to be touched by any mere mortal. The stuff he was floating in was not that dreaded black water; it belonged to his nightmares, not reality.

Reaching out a curious finger, he gently prodded at the stuff around him, and felt the first stirrings of fear when the substance, whatever it was, _pushed back_.

Suddenly, as if awakened by his tiny movement, the world around him began to shift and twist, squeezing this way and that, pushing his body all around. Something pushed hard on his chest, and his mouth flew open to release the air that was forced up. At the breath escaped him, something coiled around his middle, pulling him upright (but what was upright? What was up and down in this insane, spiraling world that he couldn't see?) as he struggled to take another breath. The stuff (he was beginning to wonder if it didn't somehow resemble the black mist Lia had complained about when he'd dared to question her about the thick, purple marks that branded her pale throat) slid over his mouth, covering it, choking off his air. Another, thick strand, so heavy he could actually _feel_ it settling on his face, clamped down on his eyes, molding itself onto his skin, forcing him to remain blind.

Frantically, he tried to raise his hands to his face, but found them bound at his sides as the substance thickened and became heavier, seeping into his clothes and wrapping around his body, molding itself into hardened, black coils that hung from his arms and legs like twisted, ripe fruit from a tree. Choking again, he tried to move his limbs, but the weight held them firm, hanging uselessly at his side. His lungs burned, but the grip of the strange blackness around him had not lessened, and his eyes watered under the thick limb laying over them.

' _Am I…_' His mind whispered faintly, ' _…going to die? Here, in a place like this?_'

His throat felt barren and parched.

' _Is this the end?_'

His lungs screamed for air even as his stomach curled over itself, flinging bile up into his already stinging throat and aching mouth, held open for too long by the blackness.

' _Am I going to die…_'

His hear thundered brokenly in his chest.

' …_without being able…_'

He screamed mentally in protest, but the substance (which was hardening fast and was starting to heat up, reminding him of burning tar) did not give.

' …_to…even see…_'

The burning crept up his arms, over his leg and across his chest. He felt as though every inch of him was one fire. Distantly, over the coating on his ears, he thought he heard the sounds of screams; they might have been his own.

' …_anyone again?__**'**_

The burning squeezed his throat shut and in the darkness of his vision, he swore he saw a faint, golden light in the corner of his eye.

' …_Have…I failed?_'

With every particle of his being, he forced his hand to slowly reach up towards where the light hovered behind his eyelids, not truly aware of what he was doing.

' …_Have I let…everyone down?_'

He pressed forward, the blazing weight on his arm searing his muscles and heating his skin until it was little more than a charred, blackened mess.

' _Have I let…__**Syrus**__ down?_'

The tar cracked, just the slightest bit.

' _I don't want…to die here…_'

The weight seemed slightly less, and the light behind his eyes was brighter now, brushing against his swollen and abused skin, pushing back at the creeping, burning tar.

' _I want to…see everyone…just one more time…_'

The light zeroed in on his face.

' _I want to see…Syrus again._'

The tar was cracking, crumbling faster and faster now, flying away from his mouth and eyes.

' _I don't want to…die here._'

He opened his mouth and took a deep, shuddering breath. All around, he could hear the shrieking sounds of the tar being ripped away from his body, the light (which was burning his pupils and making his eyelids hot – but a good hot, a nice hot, not like the tar in any way -) flinging it piece by slow piece as far away from him as it could.

' _I can't die here._'

He struggled to open his eyes even as the last of the tar was shoved off.

' _I won't die here!_'

The light raced at him, burning hot and right, pushing past all the lingering bits of blackness at the edges of his senses, and pushed itself right into his chest, heating him up from the inside out and making his heart beat faster than it ever had in his life.

' **I won't let myself die in a place like this!**'

Jaden's eyes flew open, and, for a split second, they glowed a powerful, burnished gold in the gloom of the shadows.

And then Jaden fell, landing painfully on his back, onto the hard stone floor of the crypt.

Panting, aching, and cursing, Jaden sat up, rubbing his head where he could feel the bump the slowly starting to form, and gasping for breath to refill his still protesting lungs. Leaning back against the wall as the world spun (without him even opening his eyes. That was some landing) he waiting a few seconds for the rush of blood through his body to slow before he cautiously let one eye open slowly.

The first things that caught his eyes were the massive stone structures jutting out from the walls, several of whish were attached to a small stone altar at the center of the crypt. The second thing he noticed that not all of the grooved stone platforms were attached to the altar. Two hung, suspended away from it, as if they had been pushed back. The third was that the Spirit Keys around his neck were glowing and straining against the ropes that hung on his necks, fighting to get closer to the altar. Pushing himself up off the wall, Jaden took an unsteady step forward, and the tugging only increased.

" Helluva booby trap." Jaden muttered to himself as he continued towards the altar, the light of the Spirit Keys (including his own. He supposed that it would work, since it had been given to him to keep as a guardian, and he was the one about to place the keys in the locks and open up a channel to the Sacred Beasts) guiding him forward.

As he came closer, the tugging became so vicious that he actually found himself tripping over his own two feet as the keys pulled him forward, dragging his neck and head out farther than his body and making his center of gravity shift rather abruptly.

" Okay, okay, geez I get it." Jaden muttered, still stumbling forward. " You want to get placed in those keyholes. I get it really. I understand. Now quit pulling me."

He half fell against the altar, reaching up and hauling himself to the level where he could look comfortably at the engraved stone at the very center of the altar. It was divided into seven different sections, one on the very top of the stone, and the other six surrounding it. Each section had a small, rectangular shaped hole in the middle, which, Jaden noticed, the keys were straining for with all their might.

" Hoh boy." Jaden blew his bangs out of his face. Reaching down, he caught Zane and Chazz's keys in his hand, holding them up and squinting at the light hit him directly in the eye. He leaned forward, dangling each key from in between his fingers, letting them pull him hand to their designated slots.

" Okay. Let's do this."

He let the keys drop, and sucked in a breath as each fell into their keyhole with a final-sounding 'ping'.

* * *

There is only one thing I really have to say for this chapter:

Yes, I went there.

MoS


	46. The End

Warnings: Things are about to get very confusing...and a tiny but awesome.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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* * *

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**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Zane supposed that, had he been awake, Atticus would have been a trifle disappointed in him. After all, Atticus had this _thing_ against putting girls in positions they didn't want to be in, but as far as Zane could see, Lia was not protesting in the least. Yes, granted, that probably had a great deal to do with the fact that she was unconscious, and had been like that for a good while now, but as long as she wasn't complaining, Zane couldn't see any reason for him to be guilty.

Probably because, after Syrus, there wasn't any more guilt to be found in his body.

He'd done everything; begged, prayed, repented, even ranted and raved at the school Chancellor, which he was pretty sure was grounds for expulsion (and if it wasn't, almost kicking in the door, which he had done, surely was; and if _that_ wasn't, then manhandling the Chancellor certainly was, and, in his blind rage at Sheppard refusing to help them get Syrus back, he'd done that too.), but nothing had worked. No amount of praying or begging or even threatening to punch the head of the school's lights out had managed to bring his little brother back to him safe and sound. And as he wallowed in his own self hate (because it _was_ his fault; it was _always_ his fault, and if he hadn't been such a damn fool – if he had just told Syrus that yes, his big brother _did_ love him, then maybe, just _maybe_, the little blue midget would still be here, and Zane could stop curling in on himself and crying late into the night, unable to sleep, think, or do anything but miss Syrus), Zane found that he had begun to lose hope of ever seeing his little brother again. The prospect of telling his parents loomed frightening and real in front of his face with each passing day.

And then Jaden had come up with damn fool plan, and Zane, starved for so long for even the slightest ray of hope that Syrus could be returned to them, couldn't find the strength to say no to the idea, no matter how stupid, and dangerous it was.

There were moments (more than moments; more like long hours) when he found himself acutely aware of Atticus' bedridden status. There was nothing Zane missed more, in some of his lighter, less guilt-ridden moments, than his best friend's light-hearted and infectious attitude, which the somber boy could really have used in the weeks following Syrus' sacrifice. Atticus, Zane remembered, always had a way of making everything seem all right even when it wasn't. He was, in some, less naïve ways, cut from a similar cloth to Jaden, the eternal optimist.

Zane could admit to missing him. He could admit to missing the way the brunet could pop out of just about anywhere, be it tree trunk or manhole (or that one time, in the Obelisk Blue cafeteria, when he'd come swinging down from the rafters, and no one, not even Sheppard, had been able to figure out how the boy had gotten up there, and how he was uninjured from leaping off a marble rafter, tumbling two stories, and landing, perfectly, on his feet in front of Zane, who had proceeded to blink, sigh, and finish up his breakfast before taking Atticus – who was grinning as though he thought he deserved praise – by the arm and dragging him away before he could frighten the freshmen), with a smile on his face and a crazy scheme in the works. He missed the way Atticus tended to make commentary on every aspect of their lives as though he were an announcer at the Super Bowl. He missed the way Atticus would crack jokes, even at the most inappropriate of times, and the way he laughed at those jokes, even if they weren't funny.

But most of all, Zane admitted to missing the way that Atticus always seemed to know when to make a joke, and when to just stand next to him, not saying a word.

The sudden tremours had shaken them all. Alexis and Chazz, who had been standing near enough to her to be the thing that she'd tried to latch onto when she went careening forward, were sprawled out in a heap, Alexis on the bottom and Chazz lying diagonally overtop of her, still too dazed to realize the situation he was in. He looked up, rubbing his head, and then looked down, a confused look on his face. As soon as he recognized the mop of blonde hair that was trapped under him, Chazz shot off Alexis like a rocket, his face burning red and his hand pressing on his chest, as though he was trying to keep his heart from bursting out. Despite himself, Zane felt a ripple of anger (that wasn't quite as brotherly as it should've been) go through him at the sight of Chazz discreetly eyeing Alexis as she pulled herself up.

Up on the stairs, Bastian had dropped down to his knees, bracing Lia's body against him as he leaned away from the massive crack that had emerged up the stairwell as the tremours rocked it from side to side. He seemed, as far as Zane could tell, to be calmer than either Alexis (who was looking frantically from side to side, trying to decide which way to crawl – because she hadn't, Zane noticed, stood up fully, for fear of falling over -) or Chazz (who, by the looks of it, still hadn't managed to regulate his heartbeat). Leaning the still unconscious Lia against the wall, he leaned forward so that he could see the rest of them better, and hollered at Zane.

" You're all alright down there, aren't you?"

" Been better, but can't complain." Alexis shouted back as she scurried to Zane's side. " Hey, how's it going?"

" You okay?" He spared her a quick once over.

" Yeah, I'm good." Glancing up at the stairs, Zane saw her eyes trail immediately to the form of her friend. " How's Lia?"

" Still out of it." Zane heaved himself to his feet, cursing as another shock wave rumbled under his feet. Throwing his arms out in a desperate attempt to keep himself balanced, he swore as the ground shifted out from under his feet and he went tumbling backwards, landing painfully on his back. Rubbing his sore neck, he sat up, one eye open.

" Ow." Next to him, he could make out Alexis' giggles.

" Nice, Zane. Ten out of ten." She stood up shakily, and jumping forward, latching onto the sturdy side of the stairwell as another wave rippled the ground around them. Behind the building, Zane could see an eerie red light shoot up from the volcano, which was shaking just as much as the ground beneath them. The vehement exclamations that sounded from behind him had Zane looking over his shoulder, just in time to see Chazz fall head over heels as he went somersaulting down the easy slope towards the water.

" Shut up, Lex."

" Oh, lighten up." The girl chastised him lightly. " Learn to take a joke, would ya?"

" We're in the middle of a disaster, and you tell me to lighten up." Zane shook his head, walking unsteadily over to where she stood. " Alexis, you are your brother's sister, that much is clear."

" I don't know whether I should be insulted or flattered."

" Try an unhealthy combination of both." She grinned in response. " You know, you should count yourself very lucky that I like you."

She blushed prettily.

" I like you too, Zane." His heart fluttered just the slightest, and he couldn't figure out why. Leaning forward slightly, he felt his face warm a little, staring in her brown eyes. She didn't look so brave, so untouchable, so sure of herself, in that instant. In fact, with her cheeks painted a pretty shade of pink and her eyes shyly meeting his, she looked just like she had that day almost two years ago, when Atticus had come running up to him, blabbering about one thing or another, and dragging behind him one of the most beautiful girls Zane had ever seen in his life. And under the ingrained brotherly affections he'd had for her since the moment her brother had first introduced them, the well-hidden attraction stirred to life.

" Diable?!"

Zane blinked surprised, (and yanked himself back from an equally stunned Alexis, both of their faces tinged with pink) as the brown head that had, up until that point, been resting quietly against the stairs shot up, looking around frantically. Lia's eyes were wider than Zane had ever guessed they could be, and from the pale, confused look that they held, the older boy could only assume that the poor girl had no idea as to how she had managed to end up back at the Yellow Dorm.

" Ah you're awake, I see." Bastian reached him hand out to her. " As you can see, we're having a bit of an earthquake at the moment."

" A bit?" Lia snapped as she stood up. But she was still wobbly from her forced rest, and she tripped over the cracks that suddenly appeared in the steps she was trying to get down. She went plummeting head first down the rest of the stairs, only to be caught by a rather swiftly moving Bastian. Despite the severity of the situation, watching Lia's cheek glow bright pink and seeing her shocked expression made Zane want to smile for the first time in a while.

' _Guess the quiet time is over_.' He thought as Lia stuttered, trying to push herself off of the British boy, whose response was simply to tighten his grip on her and lean back to brace himself against the wall as another shockwave ripped over the grounds. Lia was thrown deeper into his embrace, her face flooding with red as her hands fell against the contours of Bastian's chest. It was, Zane could admit, rather amusing, if only because it was happening to someone else, and Zane's poor nerves were already stretched to the breaking point and beyond.

" _What_ in God's good name was _that_?" Sheppard had managed to right himself, holding onto the side of the Ra building. He looked around in shock, staring at the dislodged piece of rock jutting out from under the grass, the tufts of dirt spewed out in every which direction, as though it would all disappear if he looked at it long enough. Up on the stairs, Bastian finally let go of a very red Lia, who scrambled away from him as though he had burned her. Bastian looked after her, blinking, looking very confused. Chazz climbed back up the slope, gripping several upturned clumps of grasses and dirt in order to haul himself to the top. Unfortunately, his grip loosened in relief just as another wave (less strong than the others had been. Zane hoped it meant that it…whatever it was…was coming to an end) went through, and he was sent rolling back down the hill. A loud splash, followed by a distinctive set of curse words told Zane that Chazz would be perfectly alright, if not a little soggy.

" What on earth is going on?" Sheppard shouted again. " We aren't on any major fault lines! We shouldn't be having anything like this! It's impossible!"

" Yeah, why don't you try telling that to the _shock waves_?!" Lia snapped, far too agitated to be worried about the amount of trouble she could get in for mouthing off to the head of the school.

" I don't understand it!" Sheppard seemed to have completely forgotten the teenagers huddled in varies positions around him. " This can't be happening! It isn't-" He froze.

" Sir?" Bastian asked cautiously, but Sheppard ignored him in favour of turning his head to look at the school, and then let his eyes trail downwards until Zane realized, with a cold lump in his stomach and the first brush of panic in his gut, exactly _where_ Sheppard was looking to for an answer to the mysterious quake.

" Natural." The portly man finished, staring at what Zane assumed to be the crypt that housed the Spirit Gates under the school, where Jaden and Chumley had clearly just enacted the most crucial part of the plan.

" Sir, what are-" Bastian tried again, and Zane could almost see the wheels turning in the other boy's head as he tried valiantly to distract the Chancellor. Unfortunately, he could also see the wheels turning in Sheppard's head, and the light of understanding that was slowly starting to dawn in them.

" Children, get inside this instant." Sheppard pushed off the wall and started for the school. " It's not safe out here."

" But sir-" Bastian tried again, and Zane applauded his efforts, but knew that Sheppard was not going to be deterred now that he had connected at least a few of the dots. Abruptly, Lia shoved her fellow Ra to the side and leaned closer so that the Chancellor, who hadn't noticed her return to the waking world, could hear her.

" Will someone _please_ explain just _what_ the hell is going on?!"

Sheppard didn't look at Lia as he answered her. He continued to stare straight ahead at the school, and though Zane couldn't see the man's face, he could guess (from the tone he used when he answered Lia and the tense way he held his shoulders. In any other circumstance, Zane would probably have felt bad for him. But he had refused to help them get Syrus back, and in so doing, forced the hand on a group of very stubborn, very loyal, very _creative_ teenagers, who were not about to just let their friend rot.) what it looked like.

" What's going on," Sheppard whispered, but somehow, in the dead silence left after the roar of the quakes had suddenly stopped, the words echoed as though they had been spoken in a tomb, " is that what I've always feared is happening.

" The Sacred Beasts are breaking free."

Each of the teenagers reacted too slow. Bastian and Lia stared impassively for about five seconds before each realized that what Sheppard had said was supposed to be horrifying news. Bastian scrambled to make himself look surprised and frightened, while Lia slumped back against the wall. Zane thought it was probably the best move she could've made, seeing as how it hid her face from Sheppard, and, from what little of her Zane had been able to see on and off again for the last few minutes, Lia was in no position to be acting at the moment.

Behind him, Zane heard Chazz give a light scoff, which quickly morphed into a gasp of horror as he realized what he had let slip. There was a light smacking sound, and Zane was willing to be money that Chazz had just clamped his own hand on his mouth, as if the action could pull the offensive noise back in and erase it. A split second later, Zane heard the gasp of surprise, much faker than the one before, that Chazz had decide to use as his reaction to the news.

It was only after he had schooled his own features to a blank, open look that was all he could manage and that he hoped would be taken as shock, did Zane realized that Alexis was nowhere to be found.

**_**

" I'm insane, I'm insane, this was the _stupidest_ idea I've _ever_ had and I'm completely insane and if I survive this, I'm checking myself into the psyche ward!" Jaden hissed as he sank down to crouch next to the stone altar, using it as a buffer against the howling wind and whipping shadows that surrounded him.

" Stupid plan, stupid plan, very stupid plan!" He muttered to himself as he slipped down even farther. The wind stung his exposed face, so he lowered into his arms, digging his blunt, chewed fingernails into the gritty stone he had his arms wrapped around, muttering self-deprecating comments all the while.

" Stupid, stupid, stupid." He shifted closer, feeling his own key fall bright and hot against his skin, straining the black material of his shirt. " Why, of all the things I coulda done, did I go for this plan?" He shifted a bit, and slowly edged towards the glowing stone at the center of the altar. " I'm nuts, that's the only explanation. I'm insane, and I need to be put away for my own protection. I'm completely devoid of any self-preservation instincts." He pulled himself up the side of the stone and squinted at the brightness emitting from the glowing centerpiece. " God Sy, you had better appreciate this." He reached out, and, placing both hands on the glowing centerpiece, hauled himself to his feet, struggling to remain upright as the winds slashed at his sides and shadows, moving all around him in fluttering, flickering dances, wrapped themselves around his legs.

" Hey!" He shouted, but his voice was lost to the howling din of the wind. " Hey!" The faintest of echoes came back to him. Something hot and angry rose up in his throat " _HEY_!"

Dead silence. Jaden found it somehow more disturbing than the screeching winds.

" I know you can hear me." He pressed on, despite the growing dread in his chest. " I know you can understand me. So listen up, because I really don't want to repeat myself."

He took a deep breath to steady his racing heart.

" Give me back my friend."

There was a beat of silence; a beat of heavy, breathable silence that felt like a crushing weight against Jaden's head, pressing in on all sides.

And then three roars split the air in two and Jaden was flung from the altar by the sheer magnitude and ferocity of them.

" Okay, okay, I get it, bad time to wake you guys up. " He muttered as he climbed back up.

The roaring grew louder as he stood by the altar stone, and as it grew, so did the number of shadows flitting about, curling around his body before just letting go, almost as though they were teasing him. Jaden grit his teeth and kicked one off of his leg, turning his face upwards so that he could stare into the black abyss above him.

" Give him back to me."

The roaring grew again, the wind battering his sides as he clung to the stone. It pushed against his skull, burrowing into his head as he stood there, eyes closed and teeth gritted. It burrowed in passed his muscles and his bones, and pulled at every nerve ending, rolling them over in its non-existent fingers. Jaden grit his teeth harder, biting the inside of his cheek until his mouth tasted like blood, trying hard not to scream. The thing, the noise, tapped at his brain, digging wretched little strands into the gray matter curiously, twisting this part and that, searching for something.

Jaden might have wondered what it was that the noise that was somehow _inside_ of him, in his head, was looking for, had his thoughts not been totally consumed with the pain that was exploding over his sense with every poke and prod. He collapsed to his knees, still not giving into the urge to scream. One hand unclamped itself from the stone to grip his pounding head, while the other latched itself on so tight that he felt his fingers get punctured and start to bleed on the sacred rock

Another rip at his head, and Jaden felt it being forced back, tilting farther and farther until his throat was completely exposed, his eyes beginning to roll back into his head at the pain intensified. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He scraped his already bleeding fingers uselessly against the rock, trying vainly to push the pain out with each little dig he made into the sacred stone and its carvings. The noise dug relentlessly into the one little corner of his brain, twisting and drilling and pulling, burrowing itself in like a mole. The hand fisted in his hair began tugging, as if to pull the noise out of his mind, but all that came loose was a clump of brown and orange hair that slithering out form in between his fingers as the shadows danced through them.

Breathing hard, but not feeling any of it reach his lungs Jaden let the tiniest whimper cross his lips as he felt his grip on the stone loosen. Below him, enough of a ways down to do damage, laid the barren, harsh bedrock that served at a base for the Spirit Gates. If he fell as he was now, Jaden had no doubt that his head would smash into the unforgiving rock first, and it would most likely kill him. His mind would be dead, and the pain would no longer be able to reach him.

He slowly uncurled his fingers.

' **No!'**

A blazing heat, reminiscent of the tar of the trap before, but somehow more welcoming, raced through his body, pushing back at the prodding noise. The heat surged forward, and suddenly, his fingers curled back around the stone without his consent. The heat gathered at the back of his head, pushing forward until he slowly found his head raised back. It was behind his eyes, rolling them back until he could see straight again, and it was down his throat, rubbing it soothingly until it didn't ache so terribly. It rushed and surged through him, pushing back at the noise that had somehow buried itself way into his mind, and healing all the painful aches left by the unwanted intrusion. He had an image in the small, still functioning part of his brain, as he was slowly pushed away from the edge, of a hand, pressing into his lower back, guiding him forward.

And then, just as swiftly as it had come, Jaden felt the heat vanish, and he was alone and cold in the great black chasm, his voice lost to the roar of the caged beasts.

Jaden slowly pulled himself upright, trembling as he did, and fell against the stone, shaking so badly he could hardly stand. And then, from somewhere in the back of his mind, and from all around him, three rough voices spoken in unison, more terrible than anything Jaden had ever heard in his life.

" _**Brave little rodent, isn't he?"**_

**_**

Unnoticed by her peers or her principal, Lia's head shot up, staring in the same direction as Sheppard, her eyes oddly glazed over as she looked at where the crypt of the Sacred Beasts was.

**_**

" Give him back!" Jaden shouted, feeling his throat protest as he tried to make himself heard over the ear-splitting roars of the trapped creatures. He didn't even bother to question _how_ he could hear the voices, or _how_ he could understand the words they were saying, when it was clear, from echoing rumbles, that they weren't speaking any language a human could understand. He didn't even bother to question how he knew it was the Sacred Beasts he was addressing. Something inside of him had given way in all the prodding and the mind-numbing pain, and it told him that now was not the time for second-guessing or questions.

" _**Impudent, but that's to be expected from bravery."**_

" I want Syrus back!" Jaden shouted, trying desperately to be heard over the howls that he identified to be some sick for of laughter.

" _**Back, you say? You want him **__**back**__**?"**_

" Give me my friend back!" He snarled, feeling faint against the rock. His stomach turned, and Jaden had to fight to keep from regurgitating over the side of the stone. Now, he also knew, was not the time for weakness.

" _**How presumptuous. Why should we?"**_

It was a question no one had ever bothered to ask, probably because no one had ever thought of it. No one ever thought that the Beasts would have any reason to keep Syrus. But Jaden, scared and hurt and sick of all the shadows and blackness didn't think of anything but Syrus. The question bounced off his head and rolled down his back like water down a duck's. There was no reason, no purpose, for the Beasts to hold his friend captive, body and soul, other than to torture him and everyone else who loved Syrus.

" Because he wasn't yours to take." Jaden said it calmly. Later he would be surprised that his voice didn't shake and that his body didn't tremble the way he expected it to. Not from fear, or the cold at the sudden rush of frigid shadows around him, but from anger.

**_**

Lia gave a frightened, shaky hiccup as she stared, transfixed at the place where she could feel the gathered shadows. Without even realizing it, she reached up to touch the material that was stretched over her collarbone, where a dark stain of blood was starting to spread.

**_**

" _**Not ours? **__**Not ours**__**!" **_The voices shrieked indignantly. The shadows pushed at him, but Jaden merely shrugged them off, staring, without blinking, into the abyss above him.

" _**You wretched rodent! You filthy maggot! How **__**dare**__** you!"**_

" Syrus went of his own free will." Jaden said quietly, a strange calm settling in over his mind even as his heart beat fast with rage. " He went in someone else's place. He was never yours to take."

" _**Foolishness! Stupidity! Why would one rodent take the place of another? What idiocy is this?"**_

" I was told…" Jaden whispered, but somehow, it carried through the howling chamber, " …that creatures like you don't understand love."

A beat of silence, and then raucous laughter, in his mind and filling the abyss around him, the shadows thickening until he couldn't even see the stone he still held onto. The slithering shades tried to pry his fingers from the stone, but a flick of his wrist sent them careening back, hissing in a long dead language.

" _**Love?! **__**Love**__**! That pathetic human ailment. How sweet. One rodent offers up his soul in place of another out of love! And what does that get him? Eternity in the darkness! Pain and suffering! How weak you humans are, lost in the moment, playing martyr when all you truly care about is your own life!"**_

The voices paused, and Jaden felt the shadows wrap around him, curling around his feet and slowly working their way up.

" _**This little soul we have here,"**_ The Beasts crooned, _**" he won't last much longer, the poor thing. He's all shivering and shaking and crying out for his mother. He'll be devoured, just you wait and see. And for what? What reason did he have to surrender his all? What was the point of his suffering?"**_

" Love." Jaden said, and word pushed the shadows down from his chest.

" _**Love, yes of course. All this pain and torture for love. You see what it brings you, little boy? You see what love does? It conquers! It destroys! It sacrifices! Love brings nothing but misery and tears to those weak enough to succumb to it!"**_

" I love my friend." Jaden hissed. " Let me show how strong that can be."

**_**

Lia grabbed at her aching chest, gasping as a ripple of pain surged through her. Her eyes glazed over and her mouth hung open as she stared straight ahead, seeing nothing but the faint glow that emitted from the crypt below.

**_**

" _**A challenge, then? A wager?"**_ The voices cackled. _**" Brave little rodent. Strong little human boy. Let's see how you fare."**_

The shadows around him sprang to life, twisting around him and clawing at his clothes, menacing visages suddenly appearing in them, baring gleaming white fangs and glowing red eyes. Jaden eyed them apathetically as they ripped his clothes and tore at his skin, drawing blood. Trickles of red leaked down his arms, and stained his white pants. The shadows curled closer, traveling up his body, merging together into a great, shifting mass of darkness that squeeze at his lungs and pulled at his throat. A cold, steely hand closed around his neck, but Jaden didn't blink. He looked into the gleaming red eyes of the thing, and felt the slow burning begin in his chest.

" _**This is love."**_ The voices whispered. _**" This great pain is love. Those wounds on your body are love. That blood pouring out of you is love. That choking hand on your neck is love. It brings you nothing but pain, little boy. No strength, no greatness. You have nothing but your own weak heart and your foolish ideals."**_

**_**

Lia choked as the light grew brighter, pressing against her already burning eyes. Her heart thundered in her chest, but she barely heard it. She was too focused to hear or see anything but the light from the crypt, and all she could feel was the searing pain at her chest.

**_**

Jaden lowered his head so that his bangs fell into his eyes and shielded them from sight. The shadows pressed harder against his ribs, and twisted over his arms, something giving way with a sickening crack as it twisted much too hard. It dangled uselessly at his side, drops of red falling from the fingers that were twitching in residual pain.

Jaden didn't move.

"_**You see? You've lost boy."**_ The Beasts laughed. _**" You've lost! What strength, what power? Your love has given you nothing but pain, and you have nothing to show for your efforts. You haven't beaten us, you haven't saved your friend, you haven't even managed to rescue your own heart."**_ The Sacred Beasts might have been unseen, but the leer they gave would have been impossible to miss. _**"Where is your bravado now, boy? Where is your strength? Your bravery? Your **__**power**__**? How weak you are-"**_

" No." Jaden whispered. " You are the weak ones."

**_**

" Stop it." Lia whispered, pressing her fingers into her collarbone. Her face was white.

" Stop it now."

**_**

It happened in a split second. There was a half an instant of silence, and then the shadows let out pitiful wails as they were blasted off of Jaden's body, flung by some unknown force into the far corners of the surrounding abyss. Their shrieks of pain echoed all around, and Jaden stood at the very center of it all, unmoving, his face still down-turned and his eyes still hidden in shadow.

A soft light wrapped around his twisted, bleeding arm, turning it back into place and forcing the bones to reconnect with a distinctive 'pop'. The dripping blood stopped, and the light washed over the rest of his form, slowly knitting the cut skin back together and mending the tears in the clothing.

All around him, the pained shadows hissed and snarled, darting forward to make a grab at him only to be forced back by the pressure of the light. Jaden didn't move as the light repelled the vengeful shadows, but under the curtain his hair, his lips curled into a smirk.

" _**What is this?!" **_The Beasts raved. _**"Out with it boy! What have you done?!"**_

Jaden stood, still and silent.

" _**YOU FILTHY RODENT!!!!"**_ The voices screamed. _**" We'll tear your head from your neck! We'll rip out your innards and strangle you with them! WE WILL PULL YOUR BEATING HEART FROM YOUR RIBS AND DEVOUR IT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES!!"**_

The great hulking mass of shadows moved as once being, surging forward in a screaming mess of blackness and glowing red eyes, shrunk in pinpricks in blind rage.

Jaden did not move.

**_**

" Stop it." Lia pleaded soundlessly, twisting her fingers in the blood soaked material of her top, staining them red in the process. She didn't notice. She crawled forward awkwardly, on her knees and one hand, staring without seeing the outline of the school silhouetted against the somber gray light of the coming dawn.

" Please, just stop."

**_**

The shadows lurched up in a dark mockery of a tidal wave, rushing forward at their prey.

The howling laughter of the Sacred Beasts ripped through the chamber, echoing off the cold stone and spiraling up to the darkness above.

Jaden kept smirking.

**_**

" Stop! " Lia called desperately, oblivious to the fact that she had caught Bastian's attention, who hurried over to haul her off the ground. She ignored his frantic hands and worried hisses at the state she was in. All she could see was the growing light from the crypt and all she knew was the pain it caused her.

" Stop it right now!" She begged, trying to push away from Bastian. The light's only response was to grow brighter.

**_**

" _**You are going to die, boy!"**_ The voices laughed excessively. _**" You are going to die and it will be for nothing! Nothing but pain and suffering, do you hear us? Our shadows will devour your body, and when they are through with it, we will feast on your soul! We will tear it apart piece by slow piece, and if you ever managed to find your way into another life, you will live it in constant agony! We will haunt you no matter where you go, no matter how fast you run! We will dog your steps through this brief life you have and the next and the next! You will never be free of us! NEVER!!!"**_

Jaden raised his head as the Sacred Beasts laughed at the fate they had planned out for him. The light surrounding him grew brighter, swirling over his limbs and through his hair until it was a shifting, blazing sphere. It encompassed his whole being, hot and strong and pulsating in time to his steady, sure heart.

Jaden looked up into the blackness, and, in the glow of the light he had gathered around him, it was hard to see his face.

But, against the somber, silvery gray backdrop of the light, Jaden's eyes glowed gold.

**_**

" Lia!" Bastian tried to pull her up, but she stubbornly refused his attempts, sitting back on her calves and letting the tears that had gathered in her eyes spill over as she was nearly blinded by the light.

" Stop." She whispered tonelessly. " Please, just make it stop. Stop it all."

The hand bunched in her bloody top loosened and fell to her side.

**_**

" Give him back to me." Jaden said calmly.

" _**NEVER**__**! We will never relinquish him! We will never let him go! You will join him in our bellies, and remain forever, locked in an existence of pain!"**_

Jaden's smirk grew.

" I don't think so."

And the light exploded outwards.

**_**

Lia's head exploded in pain, and her hands, one clean, one bloody, flew upwards to grab at her hair, pulling at it as though it would dislodged the agony from her skull. Distantly, she felt Bastian at her side, holding her shoulders and shouting at her, trying to find out what was happening, but the light from the crypt was so bright and so loud that it drowned out everything else. It blazed in front of her closed eyelids, searing her eyes even as she tried to turn away from it. The pain in her chest grew, intensifying with each thundering beat of her heart.

She pushed away form Bastian, tears streaming down her face, her mouth open in a soundless scream as something pushed outwards in her head in protest to the burning silver light. She fell backwards, against the stone, and started banging her head against it in an attempt to bore out the pain that was making her whole body writhe in agony. She felt Bastian pull her away from the stone wall, and felt blood trickle down her forehead, but as the pain reached a terrible crescendo, Lia knew nothing but the scream that echoed in her ears. Later, she would learn that is was her own.

And then it was over.

Lia collapsed, spent and white faced against a frightened Bastian, who cautiously wrapped her up in his arms. The light had faded from the crypt; Lia felt the oddest sense of calm settle over her as she watched the sky begin to lighten on the horizon.

" L-Lia?" Bastian murmured when he dared, but Lia didn't quite hear him. She was staring at the last vestiges of the night, slowing sinking into the inky-blue sea that stretched out before her. " Lia?" Bastian shook her lightly as he tried to get her attention.

" C'est fini." Lia murmured to the last star as it winked out of sight.

Then she fell back into the warmth of Bastian's embrace and was once more lost to the waking world.

* * *

I think, in order to be a bitch, I'll let this sit and allow you to contemplate what the HELL just happened until next week. (grins evilly)

Enjoy.

MoS


	47. The Dawn

Warnings: Extreme sappiness and beautiful, beautiful bromance, which if ANY of you try to read as sexual, I will KILL off your favourite characters like THAT (snaps fingers). Well the, on with the show. If you're wondering why Lia hasn't made some bitchy comment yet, well...you'll see.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

* * *

** Year One: The Academic**

* * *

It was dark.

Alexis knew that that was most likely the stupidest observation she could have made, but, with her nerves at the breaking point and her senses overrun by Titan and his not-so-obviously-fake magic tricks, the stupid observations were all she could really bring herself to make.

Later, when she had the time (and the energy, and the sheer presence if mind) to sit down and think about everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours (and try to absorb it all), she would come to the conclusion that _of course_ it was dark, Titan (the eternal prick that he was; Alexis made no excuses for her unladylike language. By that point, she was tired, and hungry, and still riding the adrenaline high that had hit her about three quarters through the duel as her pissed off levels reached their amazing peaks) had played that damnable field spell that had covered the whole dueling area in the eerie black mist that had threatened both her and Lia months before.

Unfortunately, as the duel was taking place, Alexis had no time to mull these thoughts over, and so made her rather inane (and later, she supposed them to be embarrassingly obvious) observations.

' _God it's dark._' She thought, blowing a stray blonde bang out of her eyes. ' _I can hardly see the cards in my hand._'

From across the arena, Alexis heard her opponent give a chilling laugh.

" What's the matter?" He crooned, hidden somewhere in the mess of the low-hanging fog. " Afraid of the dark?"

" Is that seriously the _best_ you can come up with?" Alexis curled her lips in disgust. Why was it that Jaden managed to get all the kind, repenting Shadow Riders who turned out to be decent people once he had managed to worm his charming way past their defenses with his winning smile, and Zane had managed to snag the wicked, frightening Camulla as his opponent, while she was stuck with the reject of the group, the delusional muscle-head who thought he actually had shadow powers?

At least it wasn't all bad. It wasn't as though Chazz had had a duel with the most frightening of opponents. If the profiles he'd somehow come up with on the Dark Scorpions were anything to go by, they were little more than amateurs playing at the big leagues; and _failing_ miserably as they plodded along.

Alexis grit her teeth as Titan gave yet another cruel laugh, as though he thought the sound, combined with the natural acoustics of the cave, would be enough to have her shivering and shaking in her Obelisk Blue boots.

Clearly, he had no idea who she was.

" Brave words, for a little girl about to be swallowed up by the hungry shadows."

" Save it." Alexis rolled her eyes. " The worst thing in this place is you and your lame ass scare tactics. I'm sixteen. Do you really think a little darkness and a Boogey Man reject are gonna scare me?"

" You don't believe me." For once, Alexis was glad for the thick cover of fog. It at least spared her the sight of the pout she could hear in Titan's voice. " How cruel. You wound me deeply, Alexis."

" Miss Rhodes will do just fine, thank you very much!" She snapped, more defensively than she would've liked, but something about Titan saying her name, something about him knowing such a personal thing about her, made her skin crawl. She forced her fear down.

" After everything we've shared, you still treat me so coldly. You're really quite wicked, aren't you Alexis?"

" I told you," she snarled, looking back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of him through the heavy black mist, " not to call me by my first name!"

Something slick, and heavy, and far too much like the hellish thing that had nearly strangled her so many months ago brushed past her leg, and Alexis felt the first shudders run down her back as it did so.

" Tell, me, do I make you…uncomfortable?" Titan's voice was slick as oil, but Alexis could hear the subtle threat that was carried in that slippery tone.

" I'll give you uncomfortable!" She shouted, her voice echoing off the bare rocks around her. " With this-" she whipped the top card off her deck, not even pausing to consider the fact that it might not be the one card she needed at the moment (her faith in the Heart, no matter how much Bastian scoffed, or Lia looked at her in puzzlement, was too strong to allow for doubts now, when she had everything – _everything_ – important to her on the line)- " the spell card Polymerization, I can fuse my Etoile Cyber, and my Blade Skater together!"

There was a flash of light that barely up her side of the field, but threw her Cyber Tutu into sharp relief. For a split second, as the light hit her, Alexis almost swore she saw the slender, pink haired girl smile and give a quick nod of her head. But then the light faded, and Alexis was left in the darkness again, wondering if all the excitement of the day was finally starting to get to her (if it hadn't already; she was trying very hard not to think about that last encounter with Zane).

It had all seemed so easy, when she'd glanced over from where she'd stumbled back from the railing of the crumbling stairwell, and seen what she'd thought was her brother, standing perfectly balanced on his own two feet at the edge of the forest behind the Ra dorms as the world shook and shattered under them. He'd smiled when she'd caught his eyes, beckoned to her with his hand, then turned away and started walking. And she, being the helpless little brat who couldn't really do anything, had gone tripping and falling after the illusion (which she had figured out later, when Atticus had smirked, vanished, and become the great hulking beast that was Titan; after, of course, she had entered the moonlit cave and tried not to choke as the memories assaulted her), just as she had tagged after her brother when she was eight years old.

She and Atticus had always been close. Their mother had become pregnant with her daughter just as she had begun to wean her first born, and had never seen any reason, once she'd given birth to a healthy baby girl, to keep the siblings apart. And Alexis, who grew to be the sensible, serious foil to her carefree and somewhat unconventional brother, agreed with the matriarch. The Rhodes was a family that had always produced strong, independent females, and neither of her children were about to question Alana Rhodes (whom their younger cousin had been named after in the hopes that she might inherit the same spunk and determination. From the encounters Alexis had had at family reunions, she thought that the wish was being fulfilled) in her decision to raise them together.

And Alexis was more than furious that any Shadow Rider, let alone _Titan_ (bastard had tied her up and threw her in a coffin. She hadn't forgotten that) would dare to use the deep and wonderful relationship she had with her brother against her. Upon realizing that she'd been had (almost as badly at the group had pulled one over on the dark Scorpions) when she got to the Abandoned Dorm and Atticus had suddenly transformed into Titan, she'd activated her duel disk, shoved her cards into their holding slot, and demanded, right then and there, that Titan duel her.

It wasn't until she'd already thrown down her first card that he told her he would restore her brother's memories (was _that_ why he was still unconscious on that hospital bed, instead of slinging his arm around both her and Zane, and making a bad joke she would have to hit him for?) if she, by some _miracle_ (his words, not hers.) managed to beat him.

Alexis wasn't sure what the purpose of telling her that was. She was the one who had issued the challenge. She was the one who had already put her Spirit Key out as the wager for the outcome of the duel. She was the one prepared to give up her soul if it came down to it. In the end, even as her two monsters spun together to become one, Alexis decided that she didn't care. If Titan had just been trying to distract her, than so be it. He had failed. All he had achieved was giving her even more of a reason to win.

" May I present, in her full glory," Alexis couldn't keep the smirk off of her face, " Cyber Blader!"

Spinning to a stop on her side of the field, the monster tilted her head back so that her long mane of aqua green hair (almost the same shade as Zane's; she quickly squished that thought as her face heated up) fell in a shimmering mass behind her. Despite the darkness around her and despite the unpleasant (that was putting it as lightly as it could go) memories said darkness stirred up, Alexis felt a glow of confidence warm her.

" The best part of my Cyber Blader is that her special effect changes according to the number of monsters you have out on your side of the field." Alexis tapped her finger under her chin, pretending to mull something over in her mind. " Let's see now, you had two monsters out last time I checked, right?"

" Is there a point to this babble, or are you just stalling for time?" Came Titan's deep voice. Alexis heard the annoyance in his voice and smirked haughtily.

" The point of this 'babble' is that since you have two monsters, Cyber Blader's attack points double, to a whopping 4200." Alexis flipped her hair over her shoulder. " Not bad for a Barbie doll, huh?" That jibe at her monsters still hurt. No one, Shadow Rider or not, called the girls in her deck _dollies_.

" Oh my, whatever shall I do?" The lack of fear in Titan's voice made her feel uneasy, but Alexis grit her teeth and ignored the mounting cold lump in her stomach.

" How does getting your ass handed to you sound?" She threw her arm out, signaling her attack. " Go, Cyber Blader! Whirlwind Rage the hell out of his Matador Fiend!"

" Face that roller rink reject!"

" She's an ice skater!" Alexis snapped, but felt a cold hand clamp down on her chest at the pretty woman with the long hair was pushed back, letting out a soft exclamation of pain in the process. " But…but…she's _stronger_!"

" Not in here." Titan's voice echoed. There was a blast of bright green light from the small orb at the top of the Matador Fiend's body, and it struck her monster. Cyber Blader curled in on herself, crying as green tendrils of electricity played over her body. Alexis stared in horror as her creature writhed for a second, mouth open in a soundless scream. Through the heavy red glass of the visor covering her eyes, the feel of the Blader's gaze penetrated Alexis and made her knees go weak.

Then Cyber Blader exploded into a shower of sparkling particles, and Alexis was left staring into the empty, dark space.

" I'm sorry, Blader." She whispered without realizing. Her gloved hand stretched out, as if to try and grab hold of the monster that was no longer there. " I'm so, so sorry."

" You see, my Matador Fiend cannot be destroyed in battle and will never take damage." Titan was explaining, but Alexis barely heard him. She was still staring at the place where her monster had vanished.

" …so you see, you're quite doomed." Titan finished. Alexis' head shot back up, her eyes sparking in the somber gloom.

" You'll pay for that." She hissed.

" For what?" For once, the emotion in Titan's voice sounded sincere. Alexis ignored his confusion.

" Cyber Tutu, give this guy hell!" She ordered, throwing her hand out again. ' _I'll make him pay…for hurting my Cyber Blader._'

But the pretty little ballerina didn't move from her side.

" Cyber Tutu- hey, go attack him!" Alexis yelled. But the monster hung her head, and, Alexis noticed in surprise, clenched her dainty fists.

" You seem to have forgotten the stipulations of your own monster's abilities." She could almost _hear_ the smirk in Titan's voice.

" Whaddya mean?!" She shouted at him, the agitation in her voice magnifying as her fear grew.

" I mean that Cyber Tutu can only attack your opponent directly if I don't have a monster with less attack points then her in play. And, if you'll recall, my Matador Fiend has-"

" Zero attack points…" Alexis muttered. Reality struck her so cold and so fast she nearly fell backwards. Her Tutu's special ability was useless.

" Exactly." The was a slight pause, and the silence make Alexis want to scream, if only to fill the suffocating void with some kind of noise. " Now, remember what I said about Dark Arena? It forces all monsters in attack mode to fight. Guess what that means?"

It took about half a second for his words to register in her mind. Horrified, she turned to look at her Cyber Tutu, who was still looking down and clenching her fists. The pink bangs fell into her face, and something gave way in Alexis' heart. It had been hard enough to watch her Cyber Blader (her powerful, awesome Cyber Blader, whom she emulated and admired) bite the dust, but her Cyber Tutu was another matter all together. The delicate, perky little dancer had always held a special place in Alexis' heart, because, while she might never be the strongest card Alexis had at her disposal, she would always be the pluckiest, the perkiest, the one that would always appear on the field, by luck or the Heart, whenever Alexis needed her.

" No…not my Tutu…" She whispered, and reached out her hand, feeling tears prick at her eyes as she imagined watching her beloved favourite card being smashed to pieces by Titan's horrific Picador Fiend. She reached the arm of the hologram, and carefully wrapped her fingers around it, trying very hard to let them slip through and ruin the illusion.

Cyber Tutu's head snapped up as Alexis closed her hand over the monster's arm, and on her face was a set, determined frown. She pushed back against the card she was standing on, and, for the half second before she went careening out to face the hideous monster Titan had sent to dispose of her, Alexis swore the arm in her grasp pulsed warm and heavy and _real_.

Then Cyber Tutu wrenched herself out of Alexis' grasp and went flying at the Picador Fiend, her face determined and her eyes blazing behind her visor.

' _**Believe in me**_.' Alexis was sure she imagined the whisper, two tears dripping down her face as her Cyber Tutu was struck by the green light from the mouth of the skull mounted on Picador Fiend's shoulder. There was a loud, high-pitched scream that issued from the dancer, and then she was exploding, little flickering lights and smoke billowing out in every direction. She half-turned, her face set in a mask of pain, and looked directly into Alexis' eyes.

And then she was gone, and Alexis fell to her knees, crying noiselessly.

" You see? This is the true power of the shadows, and you, little girl, are nothing compare to it!" Titan threw his head back and laughed, his two monsters letting out grating, ear-splitting shrieks that could have passed as laughter had they not been so cruel-sounding.

" You are nothing here, Alexis Rhodes! Just an insect, just a maggot!" A blaze of green light shot out from the smoke and hit her in the chest. She screamed in pain as the little tingles of electricity danced over her body as well, tears still trickling steadily down her face.

" Weak and pathetic!" Titan seemed to be enjoying himself far more than he should. He had taken great pleasure, Alexis realized, in destroying her precious Tutu. " You thought you could challenge me? You thought _you _could _beat_ _**me**_?! I have the power of the shadows! I have the power to crush you in an instant! I could rip your soul from your body right now, if I wanted to!"

Alexis wrapped her arms around herself, trying hard not to let the slimy things at her ankles and feet get to her.

" You're finished! You've got nothing left! I've won this duel, can't you see that?! The shadows have given me the power to-"

But whatever the shadows had given the crazed man the power to do would forever remain a mystery, as Alexis shot up to her feet at that point, eyes blazing identically to her Cyber Tutu's and her face set in a furious, frightening scowl.

" Shut up you fucking _bastard_!" She screamed. From the stunned silence in the darkness across from her, Alexis could only assume that Titan had heeded the unsaid 'or else' that had lurked in her shout.

" I've had more than enough of you raving on about your precious shadows! Since you seem so fond of them, I think I'll send you back to them!" She whipped out a card and slammed it onto her disk, making sure it was in defense mode. " Piece by piece!"

" You send me to the shadows?" Titan had regained his voice. " My dear, this is hardly the time for jokes."

" Listen fucker," Alexis wasn't feeling particularly generous with her vocabulary at that moment, " you killed my Cyber Blader and hurt my Cyber Tutu and I am _not_ going to take that lying down! So you can take your shadow powers and that charm you've got on your head, and shoved them both up your ass!"

Her Cyber Gymnast appeared beside her, kneeling on her card in a flurry of lights.

" I am gonna make you regret ever trying to fuck with me or my monsters, you sonovabitch."

And half an hour after Alexis made her promise, Atticus Rhodes sat straight up in bed, almost knocking over the surprised Miss Fontaine, who was tending to the still unconscious Lia Shanner.

**_**

Bastian could admit to being frightened. If the idiotic plan of Jaden's (which involved far too much self sacrifice on the part of the one who came up with it for it to be healthy; Bastian was considering looking into whether or not Jaden had a martyr complex) wasn't enough to rattle his nerves, then the glazed look, pain-filled scream, and bloody shirt of his fellow Ra certainly was.

Bastian had been quite terrified when Lia had started pleading and begging to some unseen force, staring unblinkingly at the school, as though she could see something none of the others (not even the Chancellor, who had more experience with the supernatural forces that seemed to run amok at the school, and that in itself was incredibly disturbing) were capable of. But when she'd let out that last, terrified wail (alerting Sheppard, – who had hurried to her side, demanding to know what on Earth had happened –Zane, – who had stared in shock at her sudden outburst- and Chazz – who had managed to crawl back up the hillside and immediately demanded to know what the God awful noise was- to the fact all was not well quite yet), and fell back against him, staring exhaustedly out at the horizon, Bastian had felt his brilliant brain finally come to a complete and full stop. (Really, he wondered how he had managed to stay upright and mobile; the walk to the infirmary had not been a pleasant one, by any standards.)

The dark, disturbingly large (not _huge_, he supposed later, when he was in a more rational frame of mind; but still big enough to cause a stir) stain of blood on Lia's green top had stopped all conversations over what had happened and set a clear goal in the minds of all the men:

The infirmary.

There were some brief inquiries as to Alexis' whereabouts (she'd vanished at some point, during the quakes), but Lia took precedent at that moment (although Chazz had looked ready to protest), and Bastian had bourn the unconscious Lia (she had latched onto his shirt with a surprisingly strong grip for such a frail looking girl, and refused to let go until Zane – who seemed to have experience in such matters – had pried her fingers loose upon arrival) straight to a sleepy-eyed Fonda Fontaine, who'd taken one look at the haggard group, whisked Lia out of Bastian's arms (with a little assistance from Zane), and told them all to lay down (where, she did no specify), as she placed the girl carefully onto a bed and pulled the screen in front of it.

Across the room, Bastian observed Atticus Rhodes, still apparently dead to the world.

" How is she?" He asked through the screen. He had been curious, at first, for the necessity of it, until he'd remembered exactly _where_ the bloodstain was on Lia, and _why_ exactly a screen was needed to protect her privacy.

" Unconscious, suffering from the first stages of exhaustion, and a little dehydrated." Came the voice of the head nurse. Bastian sighed.

" Will she be alright?"

" Oh yes, " The silhouette behind the screen moved forward, the arm making dabbing motions, " with lots of rest, and a good deal of water."

Bastian nodded.

" What happened to her?" Bastian winced, not entirely sure how he was supposed to approach the question. Should he tell the truth, no matter how insane it was? Or should he try and concoct a lie on his feet? He bit the inside of his cheek. He had never been very good at lying.

" Well, you see…" He trailed off.

"Bastian." Miss Fontaine appeared from behind the screen. She walked past him, blowing the long fringe that hung over her face out of her eyes. She stopped by the waist basket, and Bastian watched her toss out several blood-covered, sterilized swabs with a grimace. He hated blood. When she had put the surgical gloves she had been wearing in a specifically marked container, she turned to look at the boy, her eyes serious. Sheppard had already left to attend to the damages done by the Dark Scorpions and the earthquakes. Chazz was snoring soundly in the chair he had collapsed into the second they'd reached the infirmary. Zane was sitting in the corner by Atticus' bed, his head down and his bangs in his eyes, making it impossible to tell if he was awake or not.

Bastian was alone.

" I can help her if you tell me what happened." The nurse coaxed.

" Well, it's…you see…" Bastian tried, but the words got stuck somewhere between his mind and his tongue, twisting up and turning out so wrong that he knew he didn't dare let them out.

" I need to know what happened to her."

" I…we were…" Bastian looked to the screen, where the light at her bedside cast the silhouette of a comatose figure. " …she was…" He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, trying blot out the image of Lia's white face and brilliant, bright eyes shrunk to tiny pinpricks in agony. " …_screaming_…"

Fortunately for Bastian, who felt faint and was fairly sure she was never going to get more than that confession out of him, the Powers that Be saw fit to answers his silent pleas for help.

The door of the infirmary was unceremoniously flung open, and Jaden Yuki, looking scruffy and smeared with dirt across his face, came running in, looking around the room.

" I just heard…Brier and Beau said…hurt…where is she?" His eyes scanned the room frantically, seeking out the familiar mop of frizzy brown hair. He looked at Bastian.

" Bastian, where's Lia?"

But Bastian didn't answer him.

He couldn't.

He was staring, transfixed, at the small figure that was peeking out cautiously from behind Jaden. The door opened onto the huge windows of the hallway, where the sun was slowly beginning to rise. The rays of light caught his soft blue hair, and it seemed to glow. The figure took a small step away from Jaden, staring at the brightly lit room with something that might've been wonder. He reached a small hand out and ran it along the smooth, painted contours of the wall, memorizing the feel with his fingers as though he hadn't felt anything like it in a long time.

Bastian supposed he hadn't.

The figure turned to look at the Ra, and the light from the windows behind him glinted off the slightly damaged glasses that still rested on the bridge of his noise. There was a crack through one of the lenses, and the piece of metal connecting the two lenses was bent slightly, but other than that they seemed fine. Bastian couldn't figure out for the life of him _why_, of all the things he could have noticed, he had zeroed in on the glasses, but it didn't really matter, as the glasses were all he could really see through the mist of tears that had filled his eyes.

" Hey Bastian." The figure said softly, his voice a little rough from disuse and hoarse from weeks' worth of sobbing and frightened tears. Bastian opened his mouth to return the greeting, but found his throat took choked up with tears to form intelligible words. He cleared his throat, and several of the tears gathered in his eyes slipped out and trickled down his face, warm and wet and finally alright. He took a step forward, and reached his hand out, gently ruffling the already unruly blue head.

" Welcome back." He managed hoarsely. The boy nodded.

" Thank you."

There was an impossible beat of silence, during with Miss Fontaine (tears in her own eyes) quickly walked back behind the screen, saying something about needing to tend to Lia (the boys got a glance of her silhouette collapsing into the chair beside the bed and her head falling into her hands before the lamp was switched off), and Chazz shifted in his sleep, dangling precariously at the edge of the chair, and then there was a scrambling noise behind Bastian, and he was nearly blindsided as a white and blue blur shot past him and attached itself to the oddly calm Syrus.

Zane Trusedale crushed his little brother to him, burrowing his face in hair and trailing shocked kisses over his ear and cheek, sobbing hysterically.

" You're back! Oh thank God, you're _back_!I thought I'd lost you!" Zane sank deeper onto his knees, pulling Syrus to him. " I thought I'd lost you forever! I thought I was never going to see you again!" He pulled back, just enough so that he could look Syrus in the eye, and peppered brotherly kisses across the boy's forehead. " Why would you…how could you do something like that?!" He shook Syrus slightly, but his own shoulders trembled so badly the gesture was rendered pointless.

Syrus looked his brother in the eye, and smiled softly, the light from the triumphantly rising sun behind him make his entire head of pale blue glow. Bastian felt oddly spiritual at the moment, and wondered if maybe there was some higher power in the room, gently absolving Zane of all his guilt. The older boy's breath had caught in his throat, and, from what little Bastian could see of the Kaiser's face, he was staring at his younger brother like he'd never seen him before.

" Because you're my brother…" Syrus let his hand gently stroke Zane pale and gaunt face, " …And I love you."

Zane let out a hoarse shout of joy, and then buried his face in Syrus' shoulder, sobbing loudly and tangling his fingers in his brother's hair as he stroked and petted it, as though he was trying to touch as much of Syrus as he could at once.

" I love you too." Zane sobbed, pressing his nose against Syrus' pulse and taking comfort in the steady beat of his little brother (second chance; full circle; rebirth). " I love you too. So much. I love you so much. I always have. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Syrus. So sorry."

Bastian turned away to give them their privacy. He walked over to the place where Miss Fontaine had just finished wiping the last vestiges of tear-messed mascara off of her face. Bastian looked over her shoulder, to the mattress that held Lia, who was lying, all white and peaceful, on the bed, her face serene and blank. Jaden hovered over her, reaching out to brush the hair out of her face and then yanking his hand back, looking torn.

" What happened?" He muttered, pulling away from her and walking around the screen, pointedly looking away from where Zane and Syrus were still locked in an embrace. He settled into a chair by Chazz, and turned it so that it wouldn't face the brothers. Behind the screen, Bastian heard a click, and the silhouette of the nurse leaning over her only female patient was visible.

" I have no idea, honestly." Bastian said tiredly. He tilted his head in the direction of the brothers, who had separated and were now sitting on the floor, talking in hushed voices. Zane had an arm around Syrus, as thought afraid that if he let go, his little brother would vanish back into the void. Given the circumstances, Bastian supposed he was justified. " It worked then?"

" Like a dream." Jaden stretched the sore muscles in his arms. " Might even be worth the insane amount of shit we're all going to get in once Sheppard figures out what we did."

" Yes, I suppose there's still that to look forward to-" But for the second time, Bastian was interrupted as Atticus Rhodes, who had been lying peacefully and undisturbed in the bed next to Lia's suddenly sat up with a yell and grabbed his head in both his hands, hissing violently. Miss Fontaine, startled from her ministrations to the Ra girl, let out a shriek and shot backwards out of the chair she'd been sitting in. Zane and Syrus, interrupted from their heart to heart, whipped around to see the source of the noise, Zane's eyes widening just a little as he saw his best friend wide awake and swearing angrily. At the same moment, Chazz, still grumbling in his sleep, finally rolled to far and went tumbling out of the chair, his flailing arms grabbing at the thing closest to him, which happened to be Jaden, as he crashed to the floor. Jaden fell onto top of Chazz, both of them shouting in colourful language (although Bastian could only understand what Chazz was saying; Jaden had slipped into Japanese) as they tried hopelessly to untangle themselves. The moment was made perfect by a livid looking Sheppard marching into the infirmary, his face almost black in his anger.

" Will someone _please_ explain what happened tonight before I expel you all?!"

Each of the boys, even Atticus, (who was still gripping his head, but instead of cursing at the pain, was staring at Sheppard with a confused look on his face) froze, gulping at they looked at the Chancellor.

All through the commotion, Lia slept on.

* * *

Hello everybody! Sorry for the delay. It was partly because I had prior commitments that took up a fair bit of time...and partly because I'm a royal bitch and wanted to milk this for all it was worth. And damn, I think it was worth a lot. May I present, with the utost pleasure, the return of the one and only Syrus Trusedale! (claps enthusiastically)

Whew (wipes sweat from brow) Let me tell you, this arc was no Hell to write. Much as I love it to pieces (and I do. I loved the twist and the the reactions and Zane was awesome to write for this), it's actually pretty taxing, because I had to find a way to bring the little darling BACK. And I got to introduce Haou. Yes, Haou. All hail the Supreme King. And btw, if you think that was a twist, just wait until Year Three. * put it this way: He-llo mindfuck!*

So, how did you all like the triumphant return of Syrus? The insanely dangerous plan Jaden concocted? The reunion of the Trusedale brothers? The sheer amount of SHIT that happened to Lia (I'll admit, that one's my favourite)? I'd really appreciate some feedback, because this is one of my major twists, and I won't lie: it'll be effecting the course of the next two Years. Haou isn't going to be a one time thing. Lia's...'condition' is more than it seems. Zane has only faced one of the hells I have in store for him. I'd really like to know what you all thought of this arc, and if there are things you think I should do with it in the future. (hey, some comments have led to new plot twists. Hero Slayer's comment on Atticus has led to some painful happenings in Year Three.)

Now onto the thing I am most proud of in this chapter:

The Zane/Syrus reunion.

I had to rewrite it three or more times before I got it right. I wanted to show the feeling, the need for forgiveness in Zane, the strange detatchment of Syrus, and the feelings of all the other characters at the return of one of their own from the abyss, literally. But most of all, I wanted to show Zane and Syrus as brothers. This is what I've been building Zane for, at least in this Year. This is his redemption, his moment of forgiveness, and his first steps on the journey to forgiving himself. The most potent line in this story is most definitely Zane's powerful reply to Syrus' " I love you." This is Zane without walls, barriers, or obligations. This is a Zane who's realized that his little brother is MORE than strong enough to face the world, and even if he wasn't, has friends who will walk through fire for him. This is a Zane who's finally dropped the painful guard he's had up for most of his life. This is a Zane who can, at long last, look into his little brother's eyes and tell him that he loves him, the one thing he's wanted to do all along. This is not meant to be taken as incest. I will be seriously insulted if someone does, athough I firmly believe that anyone who does so is a person who has just come into the story at this point, and has no idea of what has happened up to this point. I really, honestly believe that, having known what Zane has been put through, of his agonized guilt and terrible promise, you will not find his reaction strange. And if you do, think about it; the little brother, who sacrificed _everything_ to save him, after he'd done nothign but hurt him, returned to him when he honestly thought there was no hope. Second chance, full circle, rebirth. Just as one of Lia's main themes is 'isolation' (but at this point, and in later Years, I think it can be renamed 'fighting isolation', or 'forming bonds'), that right there is one of the mains ones for Syrus and Zane, although it can be applied to other characters.

Alexis and Cyber Tutu: I always found it weird that no one else in the series (read: GIRLS) managed to see duel spirits. You had Jaden, Jesse, Belowski, Yusuke Fujiwara, and Chazz, but no girls that can see them. I decided to change that. Here we see Alexis, a fiercely independent, kickass duelist, who, while not exactly on par with Jaden (but he has protagonist powers, so it's okay), is incredible at her sport (she's the freakin; _Queen_ of Obelisk Blue! That's got to be worth _something_ to the duel spirits!). So I decided to play around with the idea of her having the Gift. And why Cyber Tutu? Because Blade Skater was too obvious and there's something very likeable and appealing about Cyber Tutu. She's like the humanoid, girl equivalent to Winged Kuriboh; cute and perky, but tough enough to stand her ground when her partner needs her.

Lia: Trust me, this is gonna be fun.

Well, I think that's everything. I would like to sincerely thank every reviewer and reader who's stuck with me this far, and really hope that I managed to live up to their expectations. See you all next week!

MoS


	48. The In Between

Warnings: Floral symbolism (cookies for who can tell me what they mean!), some funny flashbacks, and some disturbing ones, and, oh my, is that plot?

Disclaimer: I don't own Y_ugioh GX_

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** Year One: The Academic**

* * *

The next few weeks passed without incident, and the students of Duel Academy cautiously allowed themselves to slip into the warm weather and relative freedom of early May. Yes, of course, there was the shouting fest that had echoed from the Chancellor's office the day after Chazz had taken down the freaks known as the Dark Scorpions (one of the voices was that of the slowly-growing-to-be infamous Jaden Yuki; the other was a livid Sheppard, and none of the people who had been present during the shouting match – affectionately known as the Slacker Club- were willing to talk. The Ra students Brier and Beauregard seemed to be the only ones outside of the group who knew what was going on, but they were slowly being assimilated back into the Slacker Club after a brief hiatus. Still, within days, everyone at the Academy knew one thing: Syrus Trusedale, who had been missing of weeks on end, was recuperating in the hospital, and could take visitors soon.) There were, of course, tests to be taken, and projects to complete, and the drama department's production of _After Juliet_ to attend dress rehearsals for, but other than the regular month-before-exams scramble, there was nothing to worry about.

Duel Monsters' Spirit Day had gone off without a hitch, despite the mysterious appearance of an unscheduled cosplayer decked out as a very convincing Dark Magician Girl, who stole the hearts of the crowd in the cosplay duel. Syrus, who was still being cooped up in the infirmary, for fear that he may collapse (his body was physically weak and he suffered from continued nightmares, so Miss Fontaine had not let the poor boy out of her sight. Zane too, spent every spare moment at his brother's side, sometimes talking about nonsensical things, sometimes having deep discussions about the nature of their relationship, and sometimes just sitting there, staring out the window with his arm around Syrus, saying nothing at all and enjoying the silence) would have been vastly disappointed that he had missed his favourite monster's appearance had she not come bouncing into the hospital ward around noon, before her duel was set to take place.

" _Oh, this section of the infirmary is closed today. No visitors." Miss Fontaine was talking to someone. Syrus looked up from where he was leaning his head against the wall, trying to see who she was turning away. But the nurse had erected a barrier between Syrus and the rest of the world in the form of a screen, and had insisted that, despite the excitement of the day, Syrus needed his rest, and should try to get some sleep._

" _I'll only be a second, I promise!" A bubbly, girlish voice answered. Syrus raised an eyebrow, wondering who on Earth was trying to get past Miss Fontaine to see him. It certainly didn't sound like any of the girls he knew. Alexis had already stopped by earlier to show off her Harpy Lady costume (Syrus and applauded it and she'd ruffled his hair, telling him to got lots of rest and fresh air); Mindy had sent him a large bouquet of crocuses, white heather, and several pear blossoms, sprinkled here and there with baby's breath and yarrow. From what little he knew of the meanings of the flowers, Syrus found it to be a lovely message. Jasmine had come into the infirmary a week before, her arms overloaded with candy and cards, claiming sheepishly that she had run into a few of his classmates (who'd apparently heard of his return) along the way, and so not all of the many gifts she was ladened down with were from her. She'd fished hers out first (a pretty, leather bound book that Syrus found to contain the little messages that had been written to him during the time of his absence. Each one begged him to remain strong and not give up, because come hell or high water, someone, somewhere, was going to find a way to bring him home. Syrus cried openly on Jasmine's shoulder, but the most potent message was the one scrawled in quick, cramped letters that stood jagged across the slip of paper, as though the writer's hand had been shaking so badly he could hardly get the words out. It read __**Syrus, I love you**__, and it was in Zane's handwriting.). Before she'd left, the redhead had pressed a dried white jasmine into the crevice of the page where her message was (__**I haven't given up on you, midget, so don't you dare give up on yourself!**__), and quickly kissed the top of his head and ran out of the hospital, a smile on her lips and tears of joy streaming down her face._

_Several other girls, from his various classes, but mostly his drama class, (and sometimes with the guys from his classes, who clapped him on the shoulder and welcomed him home with choked voices) had visited on and off, bringing him the homework he'd missed, talking about the silly things the teachers had done, and sometimes throwing their arms around him and kissing his face, crying in relief at his return. Syrus couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so loved._

_But the fact remained that all the significant girls in his life who had been able to had come and visited, so who could possibly be trying to get around Miss Fontaine to get to him?_

" _I'll be super quick!" The voice said again, and then the figure dodged around the nurse, despite the older woman's protests (" Hey! That's a restricted area! You can't go back there! Hey, stop!") and came bounding behind the screen, pulling it closed in a way that had Fonda Fontaine quite confused as how to pull it back. The latch that attached the screen to the wall was quickly flicked into place, and Syrus looked up in shocking into the bright green eyes of the Dark Magician Girl._

" _Gimme a sec." She pleaded through the screen as Miss Fontaine tried (and failed) to wrench the barrier open. " I just wanna talk to him." She giggled as the head nurse began to swear, and turned to look at Syrus._

" _Hi!" She gave a small wave, but Syrus' throat had gone so dry so suddenly that all he could do was stare in wonder and nod absentmindedly as the girl smiled beautifully at him. _

_She looked just like how he'd always imagined her. Her bright blonde hair was cascading out from under her blue and pink cone of a hat, falling over her bare shoulders and curving at the edges of her pink-lined blue top. A gleaming emblem (looking somewhat familiar to the mystical eye that seemed to be the trademark of all ancient, magical items, from the Millennium ones to the Shadow Charms) sat comfortably at the valley of her small, but perky breasts. She was holding her spiral staff, and behind her gauntlet covered arms, the pink skirt of her outfit flared out. Syrus felt his face heat up as he took her in, from her large blue boots to the tip of her hat. If she noticed his scrutiny, she made no comment, but kept smiling beneficially at him._

" _Dark…Magician Girl?" He asked, awestruck. Then he immediately regretted his idiotic statement. It was just a girl in a costume. Although, from the way her smile had just increased, he guessed that his comment came as a compliment; after all, if he had a costume so good that __**he**__ got mistaken for the genuine article, he'd be happy too._

" _That's right!" She chirped, and made herself comfortable in a chair at his bedside that he hadn't really noticed before. He supposed Miss Fontaine had left it there after her last check-up on him. " I dropped by to see how you were doing." She leaned forward, looking him in the eye. Syrus went as red as his dorm jacket. " I hope you're doing okay."_

" _Fine!" He squeaked, moving back a little and trying to calm his heartbeat down to a less insane pace. " I'm doing just fine!"_

" _Well, that's good to hear." The Dark Magician Girl leaned back in her seat, still smiling at him. " I was worried that you were still hurt from all that time you had to spend in the shadows."_

" _So you came to see me?" Syrus felt flattered._

" _Of course!" She seemed surprised that he was surprised. " When I heard that you had finally gotten out of that awful place, I __**had**__ to come and see how you were doing for myself." She scratched her cheek in embarrassment. " I just…got a little held up, and couldn't get here before today. Sorry." She inclined her head a little. And Syrus, a warm glow starting to settle in his chest, hastened to banish her guilt._

" _No, no, that's fine! Just the fact that you came here at all makes me feel great!" He smiled at her._

" _Really?" She clasped her hands together, looking delighted._

" _Yeah!" He nodded. " It's makes me feel really special that you would come all this way just to see me."_

" _But Syrus, you are special." The Dark Magician Girl leaned forward again, slower this time, and took one of his hands in both of hers. Syrus felt his face explode into red. " That was the bravest thing I've ever heard of anyone doing. We were all rooting for you when you were lost. And you made it back out." She squeezed his hand. " You survived the shadows long enough for someone to come and save you. So few people can do that. It means you have a very strong heart."_

" _It does?" Syrus murmured, staring into her green eyes._

" _Yes." She pulled his hand to her face, and pressed her lips softly to it. For once, Syrus didn't feel his heart threaten to jump out of his chest, or his face heat up. In fact, he felt eerily calm, save for the warmth that was emanating from his hand. " Your heart was too strong for the Sacred Beasts to devour. I can't tell you how proud me and the others are of you."_

" _Thanks." Syrus inclined his head. " That means more to me than I can say."_

_The Dark Magician Girl nodded, smiling as though he had promised her the world. Then she leaned forward, and whispered something Syrus couldn't quite make out, and then her lips brushed over his forehead. Syrus felt the warmth that had been gathering in his chest slowly start to spread out over his body, making his arms feel heavy and his eyes twitch with the desire to sleep. He was vaguely away of someone lowering him back down to the welcoming sheet, and a soft voice whispering a song whose lyrics he couldn't understand, but then his eyes fell closed and he was gone._

_And for the first time since his return, Syrus had no nightmares._

When he'd opened his eyes, the Dark Magician Girl had been gone, and Miss Fontaine had no memory of a mysterious, cosplaying girl coming into the hospital ward, trying to speak with him. The only trace that there had ever been someone at Syrus' bedside were two intertwined flowers, one a pink ambrosia blossom, and the other a pale purple viscaria.

There had also been a little trouble concerning a certain admirer of Alexis', who had shown up, accusing her of one thing or another. No one, not even Alexis, when pressed afterwards, was quite sure how the argument over her mother's scarf (which the man had tucked into the breast pocket of his white suit, and fiddled with at every given opportunity, as though he was trying his hardest to piss Alexis off; from the way she had grit her teeth and nearly thrown her duel disk at his head – with a frightening accuracy she seemed to have picked up from Lia – it was working) had escaladed so swiftly and so violently into a duel, but since it _was _Duel Academy, and since it _was_ built for the sole purpose of educating the next generation of duelists (despite the addition of the Academic Program, which had, apparently, yet to implemented at any of the sister Academies around the world for some reason.) no one was too surprised.

And no one had been too surprised when Alexis (after a rocky start, but that was how most duels tended to go) mopped the floor with a shocked (really, he was the only one in the room wearing that sort of expression) Pierre.

The only thing that had really come as any surprise had been his impromptu love confession, in which he had offered her back the scarf, only to pull it back to reveal a glittering diamond ring in the folds. Watching the infamous Gambler get down on one knee and beg Alexis Rhodes to marry him was not something Atticus, who had been absent from his sister's life and therefore been unable to threaten every boy who looked at her too long, was ready to see yet.

" _Atticus, calm down!" Jaden's grip on the older boy slipped considerable, but Syrus (who had insisted on getting out of the hospital to see the spectacle and was looking much better) had more experience with holding larger, stronger boys back, and dug in his heels as Atticus' struggles increased._

" _Get away from my sister you lousy Parisian scumbag!" The recently returned brunet waved his fist menacingly._

" _Pierre is Cajun." Alexis muttered but it was lost over the creative threats that had started to spill out of her brother's mouth. On the floor below her, kneeling and staring only at her (as if he couldn't hear her brother's promises to castrate him slowly with a rusty butter knife; from his enraptured gaze, she assumed that either he was fantastic at ignoring, had selective hearing, or really was that enthralled by her. She __**really**__ hoped it wasn't the last one) was Pierre, still holding out his ring._

" _Listen, Pierre, I'm flattered, really – "No she's not! "Atticus howled. " Let me go so I can kick his ass!"- I never thought…I mean, it never occurred to me…" She struggled for words. " Are…are you being serious here?"_

" _Mais, bien sur__." He murmured, reaching out to take her hand – " Hey! Nobody said you could touch her! __**Stop**__ touching her! Stop it! I'll rip your hands off and mount them on my mantle at home as a trophy!"- and squeezing it lovingly. " Eet has always been you, ma __chérie__."_

_Alexis was reminded, inexplicably, of Lia. The thought made her grimace._

" _Come away with me." Pierre rose to his feet, still clutching her hand. –" I'm fucking serious, you let go of her right now or I will go fucking __**Nightshroud **__on your sorry French ass!" "Atticus, Lexi said he's Cajun." " Don't. Fucking. Care!"- " I 'ave more zan enough money. I can give you a comfortable life. You will never want for anyzing, __je te promets__." _

" _It sounds wonderful…" Alexis tried in vain to free her hands – " No it doesn't! Zane, __**do**__ something!"- but Pierre held on tight. " I mean…that's very nice of you but…" She searched around valiantly for an excuse," …I'm still in school."_

" _I can wait for you." He insisted._

" _I was afraid of that." She muttered. " You see, I can't be your fiancée, because…"_

" _Wait, __**that's**__ what fiancée means?" Jaden's voice broke out over the sound of Atticus' volatile protests – " Zane, I __**meant**__ break them up, not hold me back!"- and Alexis jumped at it._

" _I already have a-"_

" _Look __**pal**__, no way in Hell is my little sister going off with you!" Atticus snapped as he elbowed Zane in the gut and ran past a pondering Jaden. He jumped up onto the dueling platform, yanked Alexis' hand out of Pierre's grip, and pushed the man back, his eyes almost sparking._

" _So back off and just leave, before I have to get physical."_

" _I believe eet ees 'er decision." Pierre growled, but quelled under Atticus' furious look._

" _Alexis is seventeen (Alexis blinked and briefly wondered how it was that her brother, who'd been gone for longer than she wanted to think about, was able to remember her birthday when she herself had forgotten in all the excitement) and that is far too young to be accepting marriage proposals." Behind him, his sister sighed in relief. " Besides, if she's gonna marry anybody, it'll be my buddy Zane, so that leaves you out, ring or no ring."_

" _What?!" Alexis shrieked, jumping out from behind Atticus to face him. " Who says I'm marrying Zane?!"_

" _I do." Atticus ignored her red face. " He's the only guy I trust with you. He's calm and collected and he doesn't oogle you. Plus he's my best friend, so I can be the best man at your wedding. It all works out."_

" _You can't just arbitrarily decide things like that!" Alexis screamed, waving her duel disk threateningly in Atticus' face. " I have to have some say in stuff like who I want to marry."_

_Atticus waved off her concerns casually._

" _Technicalities."_

" _I'm going to kill you!" Alexis lunged at him, but Atticus dodged with the grace gained from being her brother and being subjected to such treatment on a nearly daily basis, and went running out of the arena, Alexis tearing after him, screaming that she was going to become an only child._

_Jaden turned to the stunned Pierre._

" _I'd go while the getting's good. No telling who she might blame for all this." Nodding slightly, Pierre made to go, but then half-turned back, and tossed the red scarf in his hand to Jaden. He kept the ring._

" _Give zat to Alexis, and tell 'er that I 'ave not given ap. I will return someday and claim 'er 'eart." _

" _You keep telling yourself that." Jaden muttered after the retreating figure. " Weird dude, huh guys- Hey Zane, you're all red. Are you okay?"_

The only bad thing about it all was that throughout the next two weeks, Lia lay still and comatose in her bed, not once waking up.

It was as though she had slipped into a mini coma. Miss Fontaine was at a loss as to what could have happened, seeing as how both Bastian and Chazz had confirmed that Lia had not suffered any head trauma (even after Chazz had admitted to purposefully knocking the girl out and letting her fall without even trying to catch her. Both Alexis and Jaden made nearly thrown his out the window upon hearing the omission, and only a coolly toned Bastian had managed to stop them, reminding them that once Lia came to, she would be most disappointed if she never got her chance to get back at the black Slifer for what he'd done). She'd inspected the cuts given to her by the knife Cliff had been carrying around, but found that they were nothing but ordinary scraps, and that the knife Cliff had used had not been coated with anything, let alone something that could induce a coma.

With this plaguing on their minds, it was rather hard to take in the news that Professor Banner had up and disappeared, especially after Atticus, with his regained memories, had given them all some very disturbing insights into what had happened the night he and the other students had vanished.

" _We were…supposed to take part in some kind of experiment." The boy recounted, his sister at his side, holding his hand. The group was gathered around his hospital bed, Jaden sitting at the end of Lia's bed beside her, and Syrus leaning on Zane on the floor next to him. Alexis was curled up on the bed beside her brother, one arm thrown around his shoulders to steady him. Chazz was leaning against the wall in between the beds, occasionally throwing little looks at the blank, sleeping face of the Ra girl. Bastian was in the chair on Lia's side, facing the Rhodes sibling, and Miss Fontaine was standing behind him, her knuckles white as she held the back of the chair. Finally, Chancellor Sheppard stood, white faced and angry at the foot of Atticus' bed, staring at each of the group in turn, as if trying to put the pieces into place without even knowing what all the pieces were._

" _An experiment?" Zane asked, squeezing Syrus. He had gotten into the habit of doing that in the past half hour._

" _Yeah. We were…" Atticus scrunched up his face, trying to sort out the onslaught of memories his sister (still dirty and tired from her grueling duel with Titan) had won back for him. " …we were…supposed to meet at the Abandoned Dorm…Trish and Katie were there…and so was Jovan…Michail too, I think…"_

" _Why the Abandoned Dorm?" Bastian asked. Atticus shook his head._

" _We were told…there was going to be a duel test…that would judge…something about the energy we as duelists emit…oh god!"_

_He hunched up suddenly, pressing his hands against his face, tears streaming out of his eyes, Alexis rubbed his back soothingly._

" _Deon and Talia…they came along with us…just for fun…we wanted to share it with them…" Atticus hiccupped. " They…they…those shadow things went for them first…we didn't understand what was going on…we just…we got down there…and they were everywhere, and Tal screamed, and that got Trish going…and I looked over…and Deon was almost swallowed by those things…"_

_He shuddered, and Alexis leaned forward, whispering in his ears, and trying to calm him down._

" _At least…" Atticus took a deep breath, " …at least those of us who could duel were…kept…Talia and Deon…they were Academics…they just…they were discarded…they __**just vanished**__!"_

It had taken about fifteen minutes to calm Atticus down, and hours more to convince him that what had happened to the two Academics was not his fault. He was in no way held accountable. After finally managing to stop crying, the last thing Atticus had said before the trying, emotional upheaval got to him, was the name of the person responsible for calling the group of students down to the basement.

" _Professor Banner was the one who called us to the Abandoned Dorm. He told us that the duel tests would help with his work in duel alchemy…"_

**_**

Lia opened her eyes weakly.

The bright light of the overhanging lamp made her shut them again, groaning pain. She reached up a hand, and shielded them before she cautiously opened one, and then the other. Under the shade of her forearm, the glow of the lamp seemed more bearable, and she kept her arm pressed against her face as she sat up, muttering unflattering things to Thomas Edison and his damn electricity under her breath as she did so.

Finally upright, she cautiously removed the limb, blinking as the last of the blinding spots that had been left by the bright lights danced out of her eyes. She shook her head once to clear it, and then cursed as that made the world blur and spin in a nauseating manner. She closed her eyes again and willed everything to go back to being steady and in place. When she felt the last of the dizziness subside, she opened her eyes again, blinking when she realized that the sudden bout of spinning had caused her to fall back against the wall, leaning heavily on the elbow she had digging into the mattress under her.

" Diable?" She muttered, pushing herself up again. Her back protested violently, and she wondered if she'd hurt it falling down the stairs or something during the quakes that had shook the building the previous night. Managing to pull herself into a sitting position, even as her back and upper body wailed against the movement, she looked around, and winced as a crick in her neck made itself painfully apparent.

" What happened to me?" She reached back to feel her neck for the pain, her other hand massaging her shoulder lightly. She shifted forwards again, and a heavy set of sheet went tumbling off her form. Glancing down, she picked at the clean white sheet carefully, looking at it without realizing what it was.

" Huh?" She whispered to the emptiness around her, and swung her legs off the bed. She shivered when they hit the cold tiles of the floor. She put her weight on her legs, and stepped off the bed, fully intending to push aside the screen she had noticed in front her and find out what was going on.

Her legs gave out from under her and she went crashing to the floor, yelping in shock and grabbing onto the bed behind her. The sheets just barely resisted her pull, and came tumbling down after her, falling around her and over her legs like a shroud.

" Diable?" She asked, rubbing her sore head (which had connected with the metal siding of the bed). " This isn't right. Why…" Panic slowly started to well up in her as she tried, and failed, to make her legs move from under her. "…why can't I move?"

" You need to relax."

Lia let out another shriek, and whipped her head around, her neck fixing itself with a crack, and came face to face with a figure hidden in the shadows, a set of glowing yellow eyes staring at her form across the room. The screen on that side of the bed, which she had seen out of the corner of her eye when she fell, had somehow vanished into thin air.

Lia tried to back up, but her legs would not response, and lay like dead weights on the floor. She pulled her body back with her arms, staring horrified into the bright yellow eyes that looked right back into her own.

" Calm down. This trial is not yours to bear." The figure took a step forward, but remained out of sight. " Soon, this will all be over, and you will be with your friends again."

" Go away." Lia trembled. Her body hit the screen that had been blocking her from the outside world. She fell against it and slipped down to the floor with a cry. Her legs still slid after her, not responding to her desperate mental pleas to come alive and let her run.

" I need you for the moment, my dear child." The figure continued, his voice low and coaxing. A hand, uncovered and very human-looking (but what did _that_ mean? Jack shit, and Lia knew it. She was more than acquainted with some of the things that could hide in the shadows. Her throat burned as though someone was squeezing it) reached out to her, but Lia, who felt her legs twitch in response to her wishes, kicked uselessly on the floor, trying to back away from the offered hand, but meeting only the steadfast screen at her back.

" Don't be frightened." The figure said again, taking another step forward. He was wearing some kind of cloak, but Lia, shivering from head to toe, and too choked up with fear to scream, only saw the shadow enshrouded figure step closer, and reacted. Her hand shot up to the bedside table, and grabbed the lamp resting on it. With a frightening sense of aim, she hurled it at the figure, and then turned, clawing at the screen as she tried to stand up. There was a magnificent crash from somewhere behind her, and then a hand clamped down on her wrist.

She tried to scream, but a great green light – too much like the light from the ruins that had caused her so much pain- erupted from somewhere, and blinded her.

" I'm sorry." The figure's voice was soft. " But what I do, I do out of necessity."

The last thought that crossed Lia's mind as she slipped back into unconsciousness was that it was a total waste for her to even have come to in the first place.

* * *

Okay, hi everybody! First off, let me apologize for forgetting to say that I would be going on hiatus from start of exams to New Years. Totally slipped my mind. Second, let me say that I will be trying my best to actually finish Year One tonight. And third, after that there will be another bit of a hiatus as I stockpile chapters for Year Two, but there will be interesting little shorts in between. I think that covers most of it.

MoS


	49. The Trial

Warnings: The standard apply.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year One: The Academic**

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Jaden knew the second he'd walked into the strange lab that had certainly not been there on his last trip into the Abandoned Dorm (but then, he really didn't like to remember that trip all too much, seeing as how it nearly led to his and Syrus' expulsions, and involved a great deal of danger when it came to his two female compatriots.) that what he was about to face was not going to be easy in anyway.

But the again, nothing since setting foot on Duel Academy had been something he could label as 'easy'. There was always too much on the line, too many things to do, an opponent that was far stronger then he should have been, given that they were facing a bunch of teenagers, most of whom weren't even old enough to apply for a driver's license. The fact that the adults of the school had been more than willing to entrust the fate of mankind into the hands of a bunch of high schoolers boggled Jaden's mind. He had been certain, before coming to Duel Academy (he had been certain of a lot of things – like that monster cards were just _cards_, and that he was no better a duelist than the person standing next to him) that the events taking place around him only happened in the shounen manga he read in his spare time.

But the world was counting on him, his friends souls were on the line (if that freaky Shadow Rider in the mask was to be trusted, and Jaden knew from experience that, besides Titan and the Dark Scorpions, the Shadow Riders tended to be honourable, albeit evil bastards.), and Jaden had the sinking feeling in his gut that never heralded good things.

For starters, Lia had not woken up in the last two weeks. There was nothing physically wrong with her, Miss Fontaine said, but she simply refused to wake up. Then Alexis had come running to them, wringing her hands and claiming that Atticus had gone missing. Again.

" _I just…he was there last night when I left him at his door." The poor girl was shaking as she gripped the cup of calming tea Chumley had whipped up for her a bit too tight. Chazz was at her side, trying very hard to be comforting without making it look as though he was using her vulnerable state as an in. " He was there. I said goodnight to him. He…" She strived bravely to hold back her tears. " …he ruffled my hair and told me to get some sleep. He kissed me goodnight, just like he used to when we were kids!" Alexis let her head collapse into her arms, scalding tea spilling over the edge of the cup and splashing onto the carpet. Muffled sobs came from her as Chazz rubbed her back, looking away awkwardly. Jaden reached forward to place a hand on her shivering shoulder, then seemed to change his mind and retracted it, looking sadly to the side._

" _Maybe he just went out for a snack." Chumley suggested, smiling nervously. " Sometimes I get the munchies in the middle of the night, and I can't wait until morning-"_

" _No!" Alexis cut him off, her head snapping up. There were still tears in her eyes, and they were rimmed with red, but her face was set in a decided scowl. Chumley immediately backed down nodding quickly. " Atticus wouldn't…he would never…he __**knows**__ I would worry." She looked down. " He would have told me if he was going out."_

" _Atticus is a goofball, but he's not that insensitive." Chazz agreed, giving Alexis' shoulder a squeeze. She shifted out from under his hand, shrugging it off. He looked off to the side, a bit of hurt and wounded pride dancing over his face._

" _Chazz is right." The boy looked up at that, surprised. Alexis wasn't looking at him, but staring into her cooling cup of tea, where her reflection – red eyed and sorrowful – looked back at her. " Atticus…he isn't cruel. I know he would have told me, even if it was just to step out and get some air. He knows what losing him once did to me." Her grip tightened on the cup. " He wouldn't do that to me."_

" _What do you think happened?" Jaden leaned back against the desk, staring up at the ceiling, as though it could give him answers. On the chair beside him, Alexis shook her head._

" _I don't know. His room was trashed, but there were no clues, no footprints, nothing."_

" _No, Lex." Jaden looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. She looked up to meet his gaze, her face scrunched up in confusion. " What do __**you**__ think happened?"_

_Alexis looked away from him, staring into the green liquid of her tea._

" _I think that all this is far from over." _

_Jaden kept staring at the ceiling._

" _All this? You mean the Spirit Gates and the keys and the Shadow Riders?"_

_She nodded. _

" _I think we sill have a long way to go. I think we still have something we have to face."_

" _But you don't know what that something is." It wasn't a question._

" _I have…" Alexis bit her lip, " …a feeling." At the silence she was met with, she sighed. " Look, I know it isn't much…hell, it's barely anything at all, but I know what I feel, and I feel like something terrible is going to happen soon."_

" _And when it does?" Chazz said waspishly, still stinging from her rejection. " What does your __**feeling**__ say we do about it?"_

" _I don't know."_

_Chazz huffed and looked away, mumbling about uselessness._

" _But I think Jaden has to face it." _

_That caught all their attention. Syrus and Chumley, who had been sitting on the carpet, exchanged wary looks, before turning their heads to look at Jaden. The boy in questions was standing, leaning on the edge of the desk, his eyes closed and his face slightly scrunched up, as though he were thinking of something unpleasant that he would rather avoid, but knew he couldn't. The hands braced against the desk tightened their grip just a little. Chazz was scowling, darker than usual. Without a word to any of the others, Alexis got up, holding her tea carefully. She placed the now cool drink on the edge of the desk, walked to stand in front of Jaden._

" _I'm sorry." She said softly, and touched his arm. Jaden lowered his head, but did not open his eyes. Alexis let her hand grip his arm fully. " I'm sorry to put all this pressure on you._

" _That's the way it always is, isn't it? Something goes wrong, or someone gets hurt, and we all turn to you for guidance and inspiration. I didn't even realize it until I was dueling Titan, and I kept expecting to hear your voice, cheering me on." She smiled at him. " You make us stronger than we are, Jaden. You believe in us when we can't even believe in ourselves. You give us hope when we can't find any. We…we…__**rely**__ on you."_

_She took a deep breath before continuing, stepping closer to Jaden. Chumley and Syrus watched, unable or unwilling to make a noise that would disrupt the serious mood that had settled in. From his place in the corner, Chazz eyed the pair, his gray eyes cold._

" _And I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry we put so much pressure on you. I'm sorry we make you carry that burden." The hand on his arm shook a little." I can't imagine that our hopes and dreams are too easy on your shoulders." Her eyes softened. " And all this time, you've carried that burden. You've stood up, and made us better than we really are, and you've never once complained. We've relied on you to be our guiding light, and you've come through for us time and time again. I know you were scared when Syrus got taken away." Behind her, the boy cringed at the reminder of his incarceration. Chumley lay a heavy, reassuring hand on his friend's back. " Hell, I think you were more scared than any of us, because he's your best friend. But you never let that show. You…you swallowed your fear, and you told us that it was going to be okay. You told us that you would __**make**__ it okay, one way or another. You were so brave, and so strong, and I'm so sorry we put that burden on you." Her eyes filled with tears, and suddenly, Alexis threw her arms around Jaden and pressed her face into his shoulder, crying openly. Chumley made a move to go and pull her off of him, but Syrus grabbed the bulky boy's arm and shook his blue head. In the corner, Chazz had crossed his arms, and the hand that gripped his elbow was white._

" _We…we make you do all these things, and it isn't fair…" Alexis buried her head deeper into his neck. " None of it is fair at all…but…but…I don't think…no, I __**know**__…that none of us…not Syrus or Lia or Zane or anyone…would have gotten this far without you. And me." She pulled back and looked at him. " I could never have made it this far if it hadn't been for you." Her arms moved up until she was twining them around his neck. Behind her, Syrus and Chumley's faces had started to glow pink._

" _I…you changed me. I was…just another Obelisk before you came along. I didn't agree with the ranking system, and I didn't treat everyone in Ra or Slifer like they were dirt…but I never did anything about it either. I just went through life, day by day, playing the game. But you…" She smiled at him. Jaden opened his eyes and looked at her through his bangs. " …You made everything exciting and good again. Being around you, Jaden,…"_

" _Alexis…" Jaden whispered as she trailed off. She smiled a watery smile, and shook her head._

" _No, let me finish." She closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and then opened them again. " Being around you…is like rediscovering the game. Dueling with you made me think of the first time I ever played the game. You brought it all back: the fun, the thrill. Everything that I thought I would never feel again. You did that for me, and you do it for every person you play against." She laughed softly. " You really are amazing." _

" _Lex…" He tried again, but she shushed him._

" _So this is my thank you. Well, my apology and my thank you. You got my brother back. You saved Syrus." She leaned her forehead against his. " You brought us all together. I'm sorry…that we've always placed such a burden on you…but it's only because…" She closed her eyes and leaned fully against him, " …we all believe in you so much._

" _So from now on, Jaden, I'll be there. I'll shoulder that burden with you." She opened her eyes again and pulled back, but did not step out of the embrace she had placed him in. "It's only fair right? If I'm gonna lump all these expectations on you, I might as well take some for myself."_

" _Alexis…why would you…" Jaden just kept looking at her, something unfathomable in his shaded eyes. " …I'm not…"_

_She just smiled in response, her cheeks faintly flushing red, and leaned up to peck his brow. Jaden stiffened under the contact, his shoulders tense. Chumley and Syrus shared a sly, knowing look, and made to get up. Chazz grit his teeth and glared openly at the sweet display._

" _Because you are, Jaden." Alexis whispered as she pulled back. " To everyone…to me…you are…"_

" _It's always about him, isn't?" _

_Chazz had gotten to his feet, swaggering over to where the pair stood, his eyes glinting in the lamplight. For a split second, under the cover of his black bangs, he looked remarkably like the Chazz who'd confronted Jaden in the Abandoned Dorm at the beginning of the year._

" _From day one, it's always been about him. Always Jaden this, and Jaden that, and look how wonderful __**Jaden**__ is!" Chazz slammed his hand down on the desk. " All I ever hear about is him and all the fantastic things he's done since he got here. It seems to slip under everyone's radar that there are other people in this group, who contribute more than just a tiny bit to help Jaden succeed!"_

" _Chazz, this isn't about you-"_

" _Damnit Alexis, I did my part too!" Chazz roared, sweeping his hand out. Alexis sprang away from Jaden, her eyes sparking, but Chazz seemed to be beyond even her power to sway. " We all did our part! Why does __**Jaden**__ get all the credit! We worked our asses off to get Syrus back, and do the rest of us get any praise? Any acknowledgement? No!" His balled fist connected with the desk again. Jaden remained where he was, his head hanging down. " Not one shred of gratitude from __**anybody**__! The only time we ever get acknowledged as helping Jaden out is when we're all in shit, and we have to share the blame equally! But would it kill you – or anyone – to say thank you to those of us who risked our education in order to help Jaden?!"_

" _Jaden risked his life!" Alexis shouted at him but Chazz waved it off._

" _Anyone of us would have gone down there to get Syrus back, and you know it! You, me, -Zane! Any of us would have gone down into that crypt if it meant we could get him back, and it'd be nice if you realized that!"_

" _You wouldn't have gone down!" Alexis narrowed her eyes. " You wouldn't, not for Syrus. You'd do it for the glory, or the fame, or the hero status, but you sure as hell wouldn't do it for Syrus-"_

" _He's my friend too!" Chazz cut her off violently, and she was shocked to see the first film of tears in his eyes. " He's my fucking friend too, whether you like it or not, and I woulda gone down there for him if I had to. But we all decided on Jaden, so Jaden gets the praise, congratulations, that's how the world works!"_

" _I'm sorry Chazz, alright?" Jaden said suddenly, pushing off of the desk and walking to face the older boy. Chazz took a step back, surprised, but met Jaden's gaze with one of his own._

" _Is that what you want to hear?" Jaden asked softly, sounding almost like he was pleading. Chazz shook his head._

" _Not from you."_

_He stalked towards the door, and threw it open, but not before he leveled Alexis with an icy glare. Then he marched out the door, and closed it with a slam, his footsteps echoing as he ran down the steps and disappeared into the forest._

_The silence that he left in his wake was oppressive. Syrus and Chumley looked lost, and Alexis was staring at the door as if she wanted to open it and go after Chazz, if only to wring an explanation for his behaviour out of his mouth with her own hands. Jaden was standing very still, exactly as he had been before Chazz had left._

" _Go after him." It wasn't a suggestion._

_Alexis started._

" _But Jaden-"_

" _Can't you see he's trying?!" _

_Jaden whipped around. His eyes were serious, and Alexis leaned back against the table, staring straight into them and wishing she could get away. Something in that gaze seriously disturbed her, although she couldn't figure out quite what it was._

" _I don't know why you're having such a hard time trusting him, Lex, but Chazz is trying the best way he knows how to fit in."_

" _By insulting you guys and picking on Lia?"_

" _We know he doesn't mean anything by it. And Lia is perfectly capable of taking Chazz on by herself. He's just scared, and confused, Lex." Jaden looked at her pleadingly. " He's never had to deal with being friends with people like us before. We don't care about his money or his last name, or anything. We like Chazz because he's __**Chazz**__, and he has no idea how to handle that. He's not used to being accepted. God knows his brothers saw to that." Jaden heaved a sigh. " He's hurting because he wants to show that he __**does**__ care, but you won't accept that." He pointed to the door. " So go out and talk to him. He's a really good listener." She didn't move. " Please, Lex."_

" _Lia told me what he did to you." Alexis got up and started walking. " I'm not sure I can forgive him."_

" _You don't have to. I already did."_

_She sighed._

" _I'll do this for you, Jaden." She opened the door. " I promised I'd share your burden, and I guess this is where it starts." She walked out the door._

" _Alexis." Jaden called after her. She paused. " Have some faith in him."_

_Alexis kept walking, and the door closed with an ominous click._

Neither of them had come back, and Jaden had started to get worried. Thanking every listening deity that it was Friday night (and pausing, and thanking every listening deity _again_ that the school followed Western customs, and Western children did not _go_ to school on Saturdays – something that still boggled him. And he'd found out from Syrus that Western children didn't take exams to get into high school. They just went to the closest one, no entrance tests needed. And the _only_ reason Duel Academy had one was as a fail safe, in case some rotten eggs managed to get far enough into the system to reach the exams- and could sleep in and gods, how he envied them) Jaden had called together Chumley and Syrus and the three had headed off on a search party, calling out for their missing companions in the thick forest. They'd remembered flashlight, and Jaden had insisted that none of them split up, remembering the frightening experience in the Abandoned Dorm (Lia and Alexis bound and gagged in heavy coffins; Alexis had a nasty bump on her head, and the marks on Lia's neck wouldn't leave for weeks).

When the world had started shaking (apparently, there had been quite a few quakes going through lately), and the six bright beams of light had shot out of the water and plunged into the cloud-covered sky above them, Jaden would admit that he hadn't been all that surprised by the turn of events. Alexis warnings, coupled with his own growing sense of dread (which still lingered over from plunging head first into the shadows and pulling Syrus out from the Beasts' claws) had mentally prepared him for something disastrous to take place in the near future.

He just didn't think it would have been Pharaoh, the pudgy dorm cat, of all things that would lead him to the inevitable confrontation.

The second he'd seen the mummified Banner lying in the coffin, Jaden had felt alarm bells going off in his head. When Amnael (as in, The Mark of – Banner had been very adamant about drilling that, of nothing else on the syllabus, into their heads) had appeared, and shown him the strange book that apparently held all of his friends, the alarms bells had grown to full fledged sirens, shrieking in his ears against the insanity he was about to partake in.

But a duel was a duel, and Jaden had never been one to back down from a challenge, even if it was a highly dangerous one with a psychotic, alchemy nut, who probably had more than one trick up his large sleeves, if his Chaos Distill and Steel Lamp were anything to go by,

But Jaden had a bigger problem.

The second the seventh Shadow Rider had started talking, something about it had rattled at Jaden's nerves. It had jiggled in his brain, the tiny, almost insignificant fact trying to make itself known as he tried his best to ignore it and focus on the duel, that wasn't, for once, going his way at all. First, he'd had to deal with the vicious alchemy beasts the Rider kept siccing on him (like that fanged Salamandra the Steel, or his snarling Oroboros the Bronze. Jaden had the distinct feeling, although his mind was rather clouded at the moment, that he had seen those names and elements in class. Speaking of elements, Jaden was pretty sure there was no card he had ever hated so fiercely as he hated that Elemental Absorber, which stopped him at every turn). And then, once he'd managed to actually make a half decent move, the Rider had pulled out that dangerous Absorber, and Jaden's plans (vague and indistinct as they might have been) had all been shot straight to hell.

Of course, Jaden hadn't gotten as far as he had on sheer, dumb luck (not that that didn't help once in a while). He had skill, he knew he had skill, it was just a matter of putting that skill (and the brain he was actually starting to use in class, thanks to Lia and her water bottle that was somehow always filled with ice cold water – nothing like a dip in a glacial spring to wake him up) to use, and figuring out a way to beat the Rider.

If only he hadn't been so distracted by looking at him.

There was something…something hard to put his finger on and getting increasingly annoying…about the Rider that had Jaden completely stumped. There was something in his build; something about the way he pronounced certain words, muffled as they may be behind the mask; something especially about the way his snow-white hair fell over his face and was tied neatly (as far as Jaden could tell) behind his back. It was in his stance; in the way he played his cards; in the cards themselves, something familiar about the entire duel that drove Jaden nearly mad. In every move and every nuance of the movements, there radiated a painful sense of deja-vu.

The fact that wriggled and writhed in his mind struck home with vicious clarity as his Burst Impact leveled the playing field, and it made something in his chest clench as all the pieces of the puzzle slide painfully into place.

Pharaoh darted across the dueling arena, despite Chumley's and Syrus' plaintive warnings. Jaden made no move to stop the cat. He knew Pharaoh was in no danger.

" Huh?" He heard Chumley exclaim as Pharaoh rubbed happily up against the legs of the seventh Shadow Rider, purring in delight. " But Pharaoh's never that friendly with strangers."

" That's no stranger, Chum." Jaden said, but the pain in voice made both his friends look over worriedly. Jaden clenched his fists, looking down at the ground, his bangs casting his eyes into shadow.

" Please, take off the mask."

The seventh Shadow Rider shifted, looking at him.

" I want to fight you face to face-" He paused, and grimaced. The squirming in his stomach intensified, and Jaden wondered, distantly, why it had all come down to this.

" – Professor Banner."

* * *

And now, the fun begins.

MoS


	50. The Reaper

Warnigs: Things are gonna get a little...weird. And a little heartbreaking. But if you survive the Zane/Syrus reunion, this should be cake.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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* * *

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**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

When Lia came to, she was in a bubble. And not a very nice bubble. It was all clouded and splotchy, various hues of brown and gray dotting over her vision. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and shook her head, wondering perhaps if she had hit her head, or been given a little too strong of a dosage during her hospital stay (she distinctly remembered there being a hospital room the last time she opened her eyes; but after the dizziness she was drawing a blank – there had been something…_wrong_, she knew that much, but beyond that basic knowledge, she had nothing to go on), but when she looked again the bubble was still there, surrounding her.

Blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes with an irritated huff, Lia sat up fully, turning her head back and forth as she tried to figure out where, precisely, she was. The exterior of the bubble, that weird, brownish film, was not opaque, but might was well have been, for all Lia's still sleep-addled eyes, could see out of it. A massive about of the blinking and forcing her senses to come alive only yield the vague impressions of a vast inkiness outside of the bubble, and Lia wondered for a split second if she had been dropped into the ocean that surrounded the island. Breathing deeply, she tried to push the thought of drifting helplessly out at sea (and being helpless to all the creatures that lived in the sea- sharks and squids and god only knew what else) away. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling cold, and made to stand.

Her legs protested, as if they had not been used in a long time, and painful little jabs ran up and down the limbs as she climbed unsteadily but surely to her feet, one hand detaching itself form her body to use the side of the bubble (surprisingly sturdy and unmalleable. Lia didn't know if that reassured her or made her even more uneasy) as something to pull herself up with. The second she was on her feet, she swayed for about half a second, her stomach turning unpleasantly. Looking down at her feet, another wave of dizziness overtook her as she saw that she was not, as she had assumed, standing on the bottom of the cage, but was instead hanging, completely suspended and devoid of anything to suspend her, a good meter above the bottom of the bubble. Her stomach twisted.

" Mon Dieu, oh mon Dieu, oh mon Dieu…" She chanted. Her legs gave out from under her and she collapsed back down to the invisible floor. She brought her arms back up, gripping her shoulders and trying very hard to regulate her erratic breathing.

" C'est un rêve. Seulement un rêve. Ce n'est pas possible. C'est un rêve."

" You're not dreaming."

Lia shrieked. She fell completely over, her shoulder banging against the side of the bubble with a dull thunk. Her hair, unbound, fell over her face and she had to spit it out as it invaded her mouth. Still spitting the hair out of her mouth, and trying to brush the rest of it out of her face, Lia sat back up again. With a finally gagging noise, she flopped her hair over her shoulder, and glared darkly as the cause of her undignified tumble snickered to himself.

" Well, that was fun." Chazz Princeton smirked at her. " You got any other tricks."

" Allez au Diable." Lia snarled. Chazz shrugged her venomous tone off.

" I'm so hurt. And here I thought we were developing a real, deep friendship."

" Do you exist solely to bring me misery?" Lia stood back up, still shaking slightly. Across from her, in a bubble just like her own, Chazz scoffed.

" Don't flatter yourself. You barely appear on my radar half the time. The fact that I piss you off just by being me…" He eyed her smugly, " well, that's just a perk, now isn't it?"

" Don't you have anyone else to annoy?" Lia groaned, leaning fully against the wall of the bubble. Her chest was really beginning to ache, although she couldn't remember falling on it too hard.

" Look around, French Bitch – (she supposed that if he had the presence of mind and strength of will to still call her by that stupid nickname, Chazz was fine, and neither of them was in any real danger)-; it's not there's anyone else I can yell at."

Lia didn't look around. She rested her head against her forearm and moaned lightly.

" How the hell did we get here?"

" Well, doll, when a man and a woman love each other – or in your case, were drunk enough-"

" Finish that sentence and I will castrate you."

" Oh, I'm shaking." Chazz rolled his eyes. " What are you going to do from all the way over there? It's not like you can get out of that bubble."

Too tired and too numb with the shock of waking up in a floating bubble, Lia found that she really didn't have the energy to get angry at Chazz's taunts. With her body still shaking off the lingering vestiges of exhaustion, and her mind not functioning as well or as quickly as it might have, she just couldn't muster up the presence of mind to really care about any barb Chazz had thrown, or was going to throw.

That didn't mean she was just going to sit down and take it, though.

" Yeah, well, I don't see you pulling any Houdini acts, now do I?" She congratulated herself mentally for her comeback, feeling proud despite how detached she felt from the whole conversation (when had she started thinking of the little verbal tussles she and Chazz got into on almost a daily basis as conversations? She guessed that since it really was the only way she and the older boy spoke – because God knew that they were _never_ going to sit down seriously and just _talk_ with each other- the barbs and jibes should count as a conversation), and waited. It was Chazz's move, after all.

" Yeah, well…it's not like it'll do us much good even if we do get out." Chazz grumbled, and Lia lifted her head just a little. Chazz looked tired, she supposed. It was odd, because the Chazz she'd built up in her mind was always aloof and angry (if not with her, then with something; and he usually took that anger out o her), and this quiet, almost defeated look in his eyes (what little she could see of them- his bangs were very good for hiding them away) shook her more than she dared to admit. (She didn't like it when things changed so abruptly around her. She liked having time to adjust, but the problem with people was that they were prone to having more than one layer to them, and that irked her, because every time she thought she knew a person – Syrus was a coward; Chumley was stupid; Jaden was a goof; Bastian didn't fall in love; Alexis' life was perfect; Zane had no heart; Chazz _never_ lay down for anyone – they went and changed so drastically on her – Syrus was the bravest person she'd ever met; Chumley wasn't going to give up anymore; Jaden had the makings of a leader hidden under a hero's recklessness; Bastian was crazy about Tanya, and she stood no chance; Alexis wanted her brother back more than anything else in the world; Zane had spent the last few months crying in his room and hating himself; Chazz had been subtly gentle with her as of late- that Lia was left wondering if she'd ever known then at all.)

" What are you talking about?" She said in a bored voice, trying to coax Chazz into snapping at her. He didn't.

" We're not exactly at the spa here, Shanner." Lia blinked. She wasn't even aware that he knew her last name.

" So where are we?"

He shrugged.

" Hell if I know." He looked at her then, a mixture of carefully structured disinterest and well hidden surprise, and Lia was struck by how, with his face not set in a scowl and his eyes not glaring into hers, Chazz could actually pass as handsome, if he tried. Then she remembered who she was talking about and sniffed, looking away from him.

" When did you come to, anyway?"

" A little while ago, why?"

" No." He shook his head, looking torn. He looked up at her, then away, then back up and opened his mouth. Then he shut it quickly. He looked away again, and raked his fingers through his spiky black hair. " No I mean…not here…when did you come to…out there?"

Lia blinked, feeling extremely lost.

" I mean…" Chazz grit his teeth. "I mean…in the hospital. When did you come to in the hospital?"

" Right before…" Lia scrunched up her face. Right before what? There was something nagging on the edge of her mind, something about a hand being offered and a dark glow of green, and slight pain in her chest (which was there now, growing stronger with each passing second. She wondered what it meant. She had felt it before, she was sure of that, but she couldn't for the life of her remember where) " Right before…"

" Before what?" The impatient edge was back in Chazz's voice, and Lia relished in the return tot eh playing field she knew how to navigate.

" Right before I was here." She rolled her eyes, finally bringing her head all the way up to look at him. " What's the big deal, Chazz? So I was out of it for a few hours. I had a pretty stressful night, in case you don't remember-Hey!" Her eyes narrowed. " You knocked me out! You sonovabitch! I'll kick you ass for that-"

" Listen to me!" Chazz snapped, but Lia growled at him.

" You fucking knocked me out! Of all the-I can't believe that you-I swear to God Chazz, when we get out of this, you are so beyond dead it isn't even funny!"

" Would shut up for about five seconds and let me _talk_?" He was starting to sound a bit desperate, but Lia was still too angry to hear it (well, she could hear it, but she was still too mad to really acknowledge it; that was how it often was when she was around Chazz, she'd noticed. Unlike Bastian, who made her tongue twist up in knots and her face go so red that she couldn't talk, one look at Chazz usually made her _see_ red).

" No, I will _not_ shut up, for five seconds or five hours! I am _not_ going to listen to the bastard who made me unconscious! I could have hurt myself! I don't suppose you _caught_ me? No, of course not, you let me hit the ground! I could've broken my neck! Oooh, when Jaden and Alexis get their hands on you-"

" They already have!"

" And you're still standing? I'm shocked-Wait!" Her face lit up. " Jaden's back? Is Syrus with him?! What happened?! God, I miss everything!"

" Syrus is fine." Chazz mumbled.

" Thank _God_!" Lia breathed, clasping her hands as if in prayer. " I was terrified…we could've lost them both…jeez, you conk out for a few hours, and everything changes, what the hell-"

" _You've been out of it for almost two and a half weeks now!_"

Chazz's voice, tinged with panic and fully coloured with his irritation at being ignored cut through her soft babble. Lia went very still, the information hitting her but not quite sinking in. She turned, very slowly (something told her that sudden movements at this point would be very bad) to look at Chazz, who was again not looking at her, but staring at his feet.

" What?" Her voice sounded so small, and under any other circumstances she would have hated herself for letting it come out like that.

" You've been…you've been unconscious for two weeks and three days." Chazz seemed so resigned. " We were…starting to wonder if you were really gonna wake up. You just kept lying there on that bed…no matter how much we yelled, you wouldn't wake up…Jaden was freaking out…Bastian thought it was all his fault…Alexis has been beside herself…" Chazz's shoulders heaved in a sigh. " You were just…you were gone, and none of us could explain it. Bastian said you…he said that you had this…mini freak-out right before you passed out…he said you…that you…you-"

But Lia wasn't listening anymore. She could just barely hear Chazz at all. The pain in her chest was a throbbing ache now, pulsating hard, in perfect time to her rapid heartbeat. Panting, her face screwed up and red, she sank back down to her knees, her one hand reaching up to clutch at the thin material of her top and the other curling and uncurling against the side of the bubble. Distantly, she heard Chazz continue to rant, something about how insensitive she was for making everyone worry, and how nobody needed this after that scare with Syrus, and that Chancellor Sheppard had verbally torn them all a new one when they'd gone to his office, but she still had that to look forward to once they all got out of here. But after that Lia stopped trying so hard to listen, because something wet and warm was trickling between her fingers.

Her hand shaking, she pulled it back to look at the small, but very real stain of blood that was on it. Horrified, she looked down at her chest, where, just below her collarbone, a tiny, steady flow of blood was issuing forth.

Lia' choked, terrified sob caught Chazz's attention.

" Hey, w-what's wrong?" He walked closer to the edge of his bubble. Lia remained kneeling, pressing the fingers of her other hand into the blood, looking at them as if she couldn't believe they were attached to her when they came back stained with red.

"What is it?" Chazz tried again, banging against the bubble with his fists.

" I…I…" Lia began shivering, her whole body wracked with tremours as the source of the pain in her chest became very clear. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but another ripple went through her, and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing it away.

"Fuck, what it is?" Chazz was pounding against his bubble now, looking on at the shaking girl. Lia glanced at him through her bangs, her eyes clouded and her face sweaty. The hand that was hanging, without purpose, by her chest spasmed as Lia leaned over, retching onto the floor with no results, and Chazz's eyes were suddenly drawn to the discoloured fingers of the still twitching hand.

" Holy-" He exclaimed. " You're bleeding! Fuck, you're bleeding!"

" Il blesse." Lia said weakly, bunching her hand in the material at her stomach. The action yanked the top (a pale pink, flimsy singlet, Chazz noticed for the first time) down farther, and Chazz was treated to the sight of a decently sized blot of blood, smeared by the material's movement, concentrated just under the indent of the girl's collarbone. When a trembling hand reached up to try and mop the blood, Chazz could make out a faint, but distinct marking underneath.

" What the _hell_ is going on?!" Chazz snarled, but Lia was too consumed by the sharp ripples of pain that were going through her to hear him. While it was nothing compare to the agony that she'd suffered on the night the plan had been enacted and Syrus had apparently been returned to them (she could still feel those surges going through her, and it made the situation all the worse), her body was still weak, and her mind was still trying to absorbed all the information that had been thrown at it so rapidly, and the pain, while not terrible, was intensified by her mind as her body tried to adapt to it. Panting, she bit her lip as bile rose in her throat.

" Lia!" Chazz screamed at her, and she heard him, because he had never said her name before, and the shock of it made her turn her head. He was watching her, horrified, and she forced herself to turn. Focusing on him (because if she focused on him, on his strained, pale face and the way his eyes weren't glaring at her but filled with surprised concern – had he surprised himself as well by proving that he cared about her, even if it was only a little bit?- then she had less brain power to focus on the throbbing ache that was going through her – because at that moment, she didn't have the capacity to focus on more than one thing at once, and she would choose Chazz over the pain any day- and it made it easier to bear) she turned fully, letting herself slump against the side of the bubble, breathing hard, but trying to count her racing heartbeats as a distraction.

" Chazz…" She sat up, winced, and pulled at her top again as another ripple went through. The top was yanked down even more, but Lia was too out of it, wishing absentmindedly for painkiller, to even notice the thin strip of cleavage she was showing.

" What?! What the fuck is going on?!" She managed a weak smile, because the sound of his voice hadn't changed. He had never been very delicate with his language.

" Chazz, Jaden…" She tried again, but cut it off with a grimace. She leaned her shoulder heavily on the side of the bubble, and rode it out, counting the beats of her heart and trying to slow them down.

' … _six, sept, huit, neuf…dix…onze…douze__…_' It was slowing down, and her body was starting to adjust to the random bursts of pain that ripped through her now and again. She took a steadying breath, and looked up at Chazz, who was staring at her anxiously.

" Jaden's dueling." She spat out quickly, in case another surge came. It did, and she clenched her fists, breathing deeply all through it, forcing herself to bear it. " He's dueling right now."

" What does _that_-" Chazz sounded angry- " have to do with _anything_?! You're fucking bleeding, and you tell me that the Slacker is _dueling_?! How do you even _know_?!"

" Because _this_," she indicated to the smear of blood on her chest, " only ever hurts when Jaden duels intensely."

**_**

" It was a lie."

" A lie?"

" You were lying when you told me that."

" How can you be so sure? Are you really so arrogant as to believe-"

" I get lucky now and again like every other duelist out there. But that doesn't mean…"

" What?"

" You can say whatever you want. You can tell me that you rigged every one of my matches. You can tell me that I'm nothing but a loser. You can tell me anything you like, but I won't believe you. I know I didn't get this far because you made me think I was great."

" How pathetic. Are you really that deluded? Do you really think that lying to yourself like this will help you in any way? I made you great, boy. I made it so you would win against opponents far more skilled than you. Did you really think you could beat Chazz on your own? That a Slifer Slacker like you could ever-"

But Jaden, it seemed, had heard enough.

" Were you down there in the crypt?!"

The shout, coupled with the look of pain that passed through Jaden's eyes stopped the rant the white-haired Banner (whose red eyes suddenly didn't look so intimidating. In fact, for the brief second after his shout – which was still ringing in the black space around them, echoing over the star spangled sky and bouncing off the cloudy orbs, through which Jaden could only make out vague shapes and shadows, and hanging in the thick air, where Jaden to wonder if they were his saving grace or a damning testimony – had escaped his lips – unsanctioned and unintended – there had been a look of sympathy and sadness that closing them had not quite been able to hide) had been going on, for he froze as if in pain, and then turned away, not looking at Jaden.

"Were you down there with me?" Jaden continued, pressing forward. All the bubbling thoughts, all the shivering terrors that had haunted him since his return from that barren, dank tomb came rushing back up, making his body shake. " Did you make it happen? Were you there beside me when I told those monsters to give me Syrus back? Were you there when they laughed at me, at Syrus, at everything we'd done and all the risks we'd taken because we didn't want to lose something we loved?" His voice cracked. " Were you there when the shadows came at me? Did you make that happen? Did you plan my every step down there? _No!_" Jaden threw his arm out, his cards rattling in their slots. Across from him, Banner lowered his head, looking ashamed for the first time since the duel had started.

As if a valve had been turned on, or a dam unplugged (probably due to Syrus and Chumley's absence. Jaden had never been so grateful that Banner's card had pulled the two duelists into the universe of stars that surrounded them, but left his two fellow Slifers far behind them. It was so much easier to let everything go, to let everything out, when no one who depended on him was there to see him fall), every half felt tremour of fear, every twisted idea of rage, every horror and every tear Jaden had held back and clamped down on since he'd come stumbling back to Chumley on the stairs, dragging a numb and shivering Syrus behind him by the arm, came rushing out like the tide.

" _You_ weren't there! _You_ didn't see it! I was there, I was in front of them! They spoke to me and they laughed when I told them to give me my friend back! They laughed, and then the shadows were on me, and they were choking me and ripping at me and I thought I was going to _die_!" The word made his opponent flinch, but Jaden continued on, tears streaming down his face. " They ripped my clothes and they made me bleed and I thought for sure that I was going to die in that crypt!" He was shaking so badly that he could hardly hold his cards right. At his side, Winged Kuriboh cooed worriedly, hovering over his shoulder. " I was sure I was going to die, and I was scared, alright?!" Jaden sank to his knees, his face red. " I was scared, because I was going to die, and I was going to let everyone down, and Syrus was going to be lost! I was scared, and I was so sick of being scared and then-" He hiccupped, and took a deep breath. " And then…" The words seemed to be stuck in his throat. He opened and closed his mouth several times, shaking so bad that it was hard to breath.

" What happened, Jaden?" Banner whispered, and for an instant, he sounded so much like the kindly teacher who'd greeted him on his first day with a smile and an extra helping of food that it broke past the block Jaden seemed to have and made the boy fly to his feet again, eyes ablaze and face wet with tears.

" _I don't know_!" He roared, but his shoulder shook. " I don't know, but there was light, and it was everywhere, and the shadows were screaming, and the Beasts were screaming, and suddenly I was all alone in the darkness, and I had Syrus in my arms and the shadows were all gone." Jaden took a shaky breath. " And I left, and Syrus was with me. I got him back. I won."

He leveled Banner with a glare, and although it was tearful, Jaden had stopped crying.

" So don't you tell me that I'm nothing but a loser, because I know better. There's something here." He touched his chest. " There's something asleep in here, and it means that I have something I have to do! I don't know what that is, or who I have to face, but I know that I am destined for something, and none of your lies are going to change that!" He whipped the top card off the deck and slammed it down onto the duel disk. " And if I have to beat you to prove that then so be it! I play Miracle Fusion!"

And as the great, glowing body that was all his heroes combined, wrecking their terrible justice on Banner, blasted the man and his monsters into near oblivion, Jaden wondered why there was a pain in his chest (that had nothing to do with the outburst he'd just given- he felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his chest -, though the tear tracks still lingered on his face. His Winged Kuriboh floated closer, rubbing itself softly against his cheek. He reached up and stroked its back) as he watched Banner collide with the wall.

As the dust settled, Jaden heard Chumley and Syrus exclaim, most likely worried by his sudden disappearance into the bright light that had overtaken the field as Chaos Distill had vanished. But Jaden paid them no heed as he saw the soft smile that lit up Professor Banner's face.

" Well done, my boy." His voice sounded like it always had before. " Oh my, yes, well done."

" Professor?" He couldn't understand why his voice was so small, or why his hands were shaking, still.

" Oh my boy, you've made me so proud." He leaned back against the wall, and Jaden was struck by how weak and fragile he looked in his large cloak and heavy armour. Chumley and Syrus raced to his side, but Jaden stared at Banner, trying to figure out why he looked so tired.

" You won Jay!" Syrus shouted in delight.

" Yeah, I knew you could do it!" Chumley thumped him on the back, but Jaden walked with the push, striding forward until he was in front of the man lying on the ground. Slowly, carefully, he leaned down until he could look Banner in the eye. The man continued to smile at him.

" Hey, Jaden, get away!" Syrus squeaked. " He's dangerous!"

" Professor?" Jaden said again. Banner's smile didn't change.

" I ask you to forgive me, please, for lying to you and making you face such a hard test." He sighed. " But it was the only way…I wanted you to be prepared. There is so much evil in this world…so much darkness, and so many people who will try to use it to harm others…you will need to be ready for it."

" Will I?" Jaden said softly. Banner nodded, then broke into a coughing fit. There was a splashing sound, and Jaden's stomach squirmed unpleasantly as he saw Banner's palm become stained with red.

" You _are_ destined for great things, my boy." Banner whispered, his voice raw. " You have so much potential. You will become strong…but I fear that because of that, it will all fall to you."

He reached a trembling hand up, and to Jaden's horror, the more the hand shook the greater the cracks in it grew.

" I'm sorry…that this must become your burden, my boy." The man whispered, and the cracks along his face grew even more, spidering out along the contours of his face. Jaden fell completely to his knees, grabbing the extended hand and pressing it together, trying to hold off the cracks that plagued what little of his teacher that he could see. Little flakes of dust came crumbling off his skin and Jaden held the hand tighter.

" Professor…no, it's okay now." He said, but his voice had to push past the lump in his throat, and so came out small and frightened. Behind him, Chumley and Syrus stood very still.

" Jaden…" Banner struggled to continue. There were cracks on his throat. " I…want…I want you to know…how proud I am of you."

" You can tell me that after we get you to the infirmary." Jaden said, trying to smile. Banner gave him a knowing look.

" No Jaden, that time has come and gone, I'm afraid." He looked at the hand in Jaden's grasp. Jaden followed his gaze, and gasped in horror as he saw that the fingers had already disintegrated into dust.

" No." He whispered.

" I'm afraid so, my boy." Banner lay back down. " I am…not long for this world and I…am …sorry for placing all of this…on your shoulders. Forgive me."

" You are _not_ dying on me!" Jaden reached down to yank the shoulders of his dorm supervisor up, but they crumbled to dust in his fingers. He stared down, disbelievingly. The hands stayed where Banner's shoulders should have been, shaking.

" No, no this isn't happening." He whispered. " This…this _can't_ be happening."

" I have complete faith in you…" Banner's voice was getting weaker. " Take my book."

" No." Jaden shook his head. " It's yours."

" Consider it…my last gift to you." Banner stared up at the ceiling. " Jaden…these tasks…you will have to face things…tests…you never dreamed of…do not…you must never…lose yourself."

" Okay." Jaden was crying now, the tears spilling over. " I promise, Professor."

" Good boy." Banner smiled. " Look after Pharaoh…will you?"

" Of course."

And then there was the sound of a million cracks running over clay, and Professor Banner vanished in a great swirl of dust, his clothes falling shapelessly to the ground. Somewhere behind him, Jaden heard the mummy in the coffin disintegrate too, but he didn't care. Syrus and Chumley let out frightened gasped, but Jaden paid them no mind as he watched Lyman Banner finally succumb to the death he'd eluded for so long.

Jaden fell face first into the pile of discarded clothes, crying.

Syrus and Chumley made no move to stop him.

* * *

Hey everybody. How do you like the chapter? We finally get to see what happened down in the crypt from Jaden's point of view. Yes, he was _conscious_ while those shadows attacked him. Yeek!

Anywho, there's some French, but I don't know if it's that complicated...

" C'est un rêve. Seulement un rêve. Ce n'est pas possible. C'est un rêve." - This is a dream. Just a dream. It's not possible. It's a dream.

See you for the next chapter!

MoS


	51. The Lover

Warnings: Language. And Chazz developement. And some angst. And Atticus. That's right. He's on a level _alllll_ his own.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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* * *

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**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

" _Chazz! Hey-Chazz! Stop for a second!"_

_The sound of a twig cracking underfoot. Extended strides and a quickened pace._

" _Would you just wait! __**Chazz**__!"_

_Footsteps quickening. The sound of heavy breathing._

" _Chazz, for god's sake, wait up!"_

_Dodging around a tree, the crunch of the forest floor under blue boots._

" _Chazz! Chazz I'm trying to say sorry!"_

_The heavy sound of silence, panting breathes and stumbling._

" _Geez, why didn't you go out for track?"_

" …"

" _Chazz, c'mon, don't shut me out. I'm sorry, alright? I was wrong."_

" _Did Jaden tell you to say that?" An accusing glance._

" _Well, I…That is…" Looking away. The sound of the wind whistling in between them._

" _I see."_

" _Hey! Don't walk away from me! Chazz! Would you just __**wait**__?!"_

_An abrupt turn. Fist clenching._

" _Why?!" There is no answer. The drawing in of a deep breath. " Why should I listen to __**anything**__ you have to say when you never listened to a __**single thing **__I ever said?! Why should I stop and let you apologize for something you're not even sorry for?!"_

" _That isn't fair, Chazz!"_

" _Neither is life! I learned that the hard way!"_

" _You aren't even letting me get a word in!"_

" _Nothing that's coming out of your mouth means anything to me Lex, because it doesn't mean anything to you either!"_

" _That's not true!"_

" _**Isn't it**__?!"_

_The pain in his voice froze her movements._

_Chazz slumped back against the tree, his head lowered. Under the light of the glowing moon above, his bangs cast long, dark shadows over the contours of his face, and Alexis felt a slight chill as she realized she couldn't see his eyes any longer. The defeated look of his shoulders, his whole body in fact, was completely at odds with the harsh, cold tone he used when he spoke._

" _You've never given a damn about me or what I think before! You've never apologized for anything you've done to me before!" His head shot up, and Alexis was taken aback by the fury and hurt that was reflected out of Chazz's grey eyes. " So why the hell should you start regretting how you treat me now?! Huh? Why should I believe that you actually give a flying fuck about my feelings when you never have in the past!"_

" _Oh, like you're one to talk!" Alexis was well aware that it was hardly the time for insults and cruel words, but she had always had a volatile temper, and Chazz, as it so happened, had always been able to rub her the wrong way, no matter what he happened to be saying._

" _You don't care about what I think or how I feel! All you're after is a warm body and a pair of breasts that just happen to be bigger than other girls'! I'm just a thing to you, one more __**object**__ you can lord over everybody else!" She narrowed her eyes at him, too angry to take in the shocked look on his face and the way his mouth hung slack from his jaw. " I know your game, Princeton, and there's no way in hell that I'm going to play it!"_

_She stormed past him, roughly pushing him to side even though he moved out of her way. The wind howled around them, and the moon was covered by a passing cloud, throwing the whole world, for a split second, into darkness. A shiver of fear erupted down her spine, but Alexis held it in and kept going._

_Chazz's hand curled around hers arm, trying to pull her back, but she shook it off almost violently, stalking deeper into the forest._

" _Alexis!" Chazz shouted after her, but she picked up her pace, trying to put as much distance between the two of them as she could. " Alexis, it's dangerous in there!"_

" _Go __**fuck yourself,**__ Chazz!" She screamed back, and started to run._

_She never noticed the shady figure following after her in between the trees._

" It's not…" Chazz muttered to the soft breeze as he lay on the roof. The sun was shining brightly and the overall heat of the day, coupled with the wonderful wind and the relaxing smell of the ocean at his front, was making everyone, even the grumpy and antisocial Chazz, feel like doing nothing more than lazing about for the entirety of the day. (He knew for a fact that Jaden was sleeping on the roof of the Red Dorm, Syrus and Chumley were staring out at the ocean by the cliff, and Lia, whom he had seen on and off again from his position at the top if the school all day, was meandering around the island, snapping pictures and kicking rocks into the water to see the ripples. Chazz tried very hard not to think about the younger girl, because it brought back strange and painful memories.)

" _It only hurts when Jaden duels."_

Chazz shook his head, his bangs smacking him in the face.

" That…was just too weird." He rolled his eyes. " Like it hasn't been a weird few days already."

" Yeah boss!" The voice to his left made him cringe. He ignored the way Ojama Yellow was bouncing around, cooing at him. " You've really have a rough time all around, haven't you?"

" Shut up and buzz off." The boy in black snapped. " I don't have time to deal with you idiots today."

" But Boss," Ojama Green protested, " we just wanted to make you feel better! You've been all grouchy and stressed out since ya got back!"

" Yeah, you haven't slept well in ages!" Ojama Black butted in. Chazz grit his teeth.

" Well, _excuse me_ for not being able to handle being trapped in a large bubble by some freak for about twelve hours like a pro!"

" That's not what we meant boss!"

" Yeah. We were just worried about you!"

" Don't be mad, Chazz! We just wanna help!"

" You want to help?" Chazz snarled, rounding on the three floating spirits. Ojama Black and Green, still relatively new to his deck and still relatively frightened by his temper, squeaked in fear and ducked behind the braver and more hazed Ojama Yellow, who remained firmly planted where he was.

" Boss, all we've ever wanted to do was help you." The little spirit pleaded. His brothers popped their head up from behind his shoulders.

" That's right!"

" All we want is for you to be happy!"

" Then leave me alone!" Chazz made to swipe at them, but Ojama Yellow darted out of the way, dodging the hand with a growing confidence born of having to make similar moves on almost an hourly basis. " Go on, scram!"

" No way, Boss!" Yellow insisted. " You found us and took us when nobody else would. We're your monsters now, and we're gonna stick by your side no matter what!"

" Just leave me alone!" Chazz shouted. " Why can't you understand that I want to be alone right now?!"

" She didn't mean it like that, Boss." Yellow ventured bravely. " She was just upset, and scared. She didn't mean any of i-"

" _Shut up_!" Chazz's voice was hoarse, and there was something besides anger in his tone that caused Ojama Yellow to, for once, freeze in his movements and allow Chazz to smack him (temporarily) out of existence. His brothers, sensing his thought pattern, allowed themselves to be whacked as well, looking up at Chazz with remorseful eyes.

" When you're ready to talk boss," Green began.

" …You won't have to look far to find an ear." Black finished as he vanished in a puff of smoke.

Scowling at the last place he had seen the trio (he could no longer think of them as truly separate entities. Yes, they each had their own voices and their own specific little mannerisms, but the Ojama brothers were, for all intents and purposes, one and the same creature, useless and lazy, and loyal to him even though Chazz could find no qualities in him that should inspire such love.) Chazz, huffed, and wondered what he had done that was cruel and awful enough to have him end up with such a group of annoyances.

He flinched as the word crossed his thoughts.

' _It isn't fair._' He thought, and then winced as he realized how childish and utterly stupid the thought sounded. It was something the old Chazz, the cruel, angry Chazz (the Chazz from Obelisk Blue, the Chazz who squeezed Jaden's throat that night at the Abandoned Dorm; he still shuddered with he thought about it, because even after so many months, even after so many nights lying awake and thinking about that awful moment when he saw the infectious light in Jaden's eyes dim just the slightest bit, Chazz still couldn't honestly say that he would've stopped. Anger and hatred did strange things to a person, and while Chazz swore he was never going to lay a finger on Jaden again – outside of the occasional rough-housing that he had mentally deemed permissible -, he couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere in all that talk, there was a very real, very _dangerous_ lie) would've said, once upon a time. But that story had already had its end (a bunch of slackers telling his brothers to stuff it – if that wasn't the highlight of the century, he didn't know what was), and Chazz wasn't eager to play the role of the Dark Prince anymore, when it came down to it. The damage it had wrecked on his mental and physical states as well as the feeling of calm mellowing out had granted him made him wary of any antagonistic roles.

' _But still_,' he thought with a bit of a pout (not that he'd ever admit that it _was_ a pout. He still had his pride to think of), ' _it really __**isn't**__ fair. I mean…even after everything…_'

No one was allowed to say that he hadn't been affected by what had happened to Syrus. It had _hurt_, damnit, a great deal more than he had ever expected it to. Losing Syrus had hurt, and Chazz had been stunned to find out just how far he was willing to go to get the midget back.

' _Even after all that...after everything I did…everything I went through…she still…_'

" _I know your game, Princeton, and there's no way in Hell that I'm going to play it!"_

" It's not a game!" Chazz hissed to himself, burying his fingers into his black hair. " It was never a game! Why can't she see that?! How can I…" He slumped back against the roof. " How can I get her to take me seriously?"

" Sounds like you, my friend, need a little help from the master!"

Chazz let out the most undignified yelp he'd ever allowed to slip past his lips, shot up like a rocket, and half twisted to discover the source of the noise. Unfortunately for Chazz, the twist caused his weight be shifted and his center of gravity went with it, far too quickly for him to recover. He went tumbling over his own two feet, flipping a perfect three hundred and sixty degrees and landed, with nothing to cushion him, with his chin smashing into the concrete of the rooftop. From above him, as he grimaced, there came a whistle.

" Not bad on the take off, but the landing could use a little work. Full points for the circle, but you lost some style points. Full comedy points though, if it's any conciliation. All in all, an 8.5 out of a possible ten."

Chazz groaned, and looked up until he met the grinning face and playful eyes of Atticus Rhodes.

" Did you _always_ take great joy in my pain, or did your time as Nightshroud make you more sadistic?"

Atticus put on a mocking look of pain on his face.

" That hurt, Chazzy-"

" Don't call me Chazzy." Chazz muttered as he sat up, rubbing his aching and scrapped chin.

" – and after I came all this way to help you out." Atticus finished triumphantly. Chazz eyed him.

" _You_ want to help _me_ get _your _sister to take me seriously?"

Something like that." Atticus waved his hand dismissively. " Anyway, the first stage of romance is always getting the attention of your intended target."

" Atticus, hang on a second-"

" Now, you're in luck, because I happen to have the perfect plan."

" Atticus, would you just listen for a second?"

" It's a little risky, sure, but then again, isn't everything in the game of love?"

" It's _not_ a game!" Chazz yelled, his fists clenched at his sides as he finally managed to get a word in while Atticus droned on. The older boy, interrupted from his scheming, paused for a second, taking in Chazz's flushed face, white knuckles, and gritted teeth. Abruptly, his handsome face broke into a bright smile that, instead of calming Chazz (who had been more than a little worried about what Atticus was going to do to him – if there was one thing Atticus Rhodes hated, it was being interrupted when he was in the middle of one of his speeches, a trait Chazz realized he actually shared with a certain foul tempered Academic) down, made him only more nervous.

" That is _exactly_," Atticus clapped Chazz on the shoulder, " what I wanted to hear."

**_**

All things considered, Syrus supposed that everything could've gone much worse. There could have been an earthquake, or a tsunami, or the volcano behind the school (who put a school full of easily panicked teenagers directly in front of an obviously _active_ volcano?! Sometimes, Syrus really had to wonder at Mr. Kaiba's logic. But then, Mr. Kaiba was a genius, so Syrus supposed that what went through the man's head was probably beyond anything he or any of his friends could comprehend) could've erupted and buried them all under a scorching layer of molten rock.

So really, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been.

Yes, Syrus acknowledged with a wince, that bump on Chazz's head was probably coming to bruise something awful, but it was completely his own fault. Lia, with her furious war cry, had given him plenty of warning, and less time to get out of the way, but it had been sufficient time. If Chazz hadn't had the foresight to see that the Academic was going to be pissed at him for one reason or another (Syrus didn't actually know why Lia was so upset with Chazz – she had degenerated down into incoherent French after about three seconds in his presence – but seeing as how Lia spent about 95% of her time with Chazz being furious with him, he didn't poke his head in too deep – for fear Lia might try to knock it off his shoulders), then he deserved that clonk on the head.

It was, when Syrus ran the scene over in his head later, a rather funny scene. Or, at least it had been, what with all of them debating on how best to take Chazz down without doing too much damage (because really, he was acting on _Atticus'_ orders, something Alexis said meant that the former Obelisk wasn't _quite_ as much to blame for his actions). Zane, surprising both his brother and most of the surrounding gang, had suggested simply tackling the former Obelisk. Jaden had agreed, and Syrus was just gearing up to be ready for the attack when a very familiar voice, filled with a very familiar fury had risen up from behind him.

" _Chazz. Princeton_." Lia hadn't looked so much as angry as she did capable of commiting varies degrees of murder. " Do you know what I am about to do to you?"

" Buzz off, bitch, I'm on a mission here." Chazz had waved her off like an errant child, turned up in the wrong place. Lia's face had gone from boiling red to shocked white and then enraged purple so fast Syrus swore his eyes had gotten whiplash from the speed of the changing colours.

" Wrong. Answer. Princeton." Was all Lia had said before she's shrieked something incomprehensible in French (but from the slack-jawed look of half horror and half awe Alexis had been giving her, Syrus had assumed it was something only fit for ill-tempered, drunken company), and had whipped out a rather large, very _heavy_ looking book from nowhere (by this point in time, Syrus had learned that questioning the methods and means that Lia – or any other enraged female, for that matter – used to store and access her weapons of choice was a very, _very_ bad idea), and had proceed to send the book digging into Chazz pale forehead.

And then Atticus had tried to intervene.

" Whoa, whoa, cool your jets, Kitten." He'd held his hands up in a form of surrender and offered Lia his most winning smile. Syrus had noticed that the fact that Lia was giving him a glare with enough force to impale a more observant man went completely over the older boy's head.

" I get that you've got some issues to settle with Chazzy over here," he'd stuck his thumb at the swirly-eyed Chazz, on whose forehead still rested the overweight textbook, " but you've gotta slow down and see the situation for what it is."

Lia'd twitched. Syrus had winced and wondered at Atticus' chances.

" This is _love_." Atticus had said reverently, causally throwing an arm around Lia's shoulders and hauling her against his side, nodding sagely and taking up a thinking pose. Lia had gone very still, staring at the hand resting on her left shoulder like it could jump up and bite her.

" That's right." Atticus nodded again, smiling happily. " This right here isn't just any old duel goin' on. Chazzy here's on a mission for the sake of true love, so you'll have to understand why you can't beat the shit outta him right now, okay?"

He'd given her a bright grin.

" Can you do that for me, Kitten?

Beside him, Syrus had distinctly seen Jaden mouthing ' Three…two…one…', and Alexis smacking her facing into her palm at her brother's attitude.

There'd been a beat of silence, in which Lia had stared at Atticus and his winning smile with the air of a person who'd been told by a psychopath that they'd be the first to die. Atticus had simply kept on smiling, clearly not seeing the look and deciding to take Lia's silence as stunned agreement (stunned by his good looks and immense charisma, Alexis later explained. Jaden snorted and Zane rubbed his temples upon hearing that, muttering something about things never really changing). He'd given her shoulders an encouraging squeeze.

And had promptly ended up on his knees, a look on intense pain on his features and his arms around his middle, carefully rubbing the spot Lia had viciously jabbed with her admittedly bone elbow.

" Me touche autre fois, et je te briserai." She'd snarled with all the terrifying fierceness of a cornered, enraged Bengal tiger. Atticus had made some pained grunting noise that Lia had sniffed at, before she'd stalked off after the now conscious Chazz, who was rubbing his red forehead and swearing up a storm.

" What the fuck was _that_ for?!" He'd hissed at Lia's approaching form. " Jesus fucking Christ, what is your _problem_?!"

" You. Knocked me. The _fuck_. _Out_." Lia'd growled, and made to hit him again. Then she'd gone very still, turned quickly to look at Atticus, and allowed her face to go even darker with fury.

" Just who the fuck are you calling _Kitten_?!"

And that, Syrus supposed, was how they'd been led to where they were. He cast a cautious eye on Jaden who was restraining Lia with a causal air, occasionally making comments about the duel and acting as though her flailing, twisting body had no effect on him.

" Well t_hat's_ an interesting move." He let out a low whistle as Blade Skater vanished it a shower of sparks, her attack points dropping rapidly from both duelists' life points.

" It doesn't matter if we both get hit." Chazz snapped at Alexis. " I'm willing to take the pain." He looked at her fervently. " I'm willing to take it."

" Chazz, just shut up." Alexis rolled her eyes, flicking them down to her deck. In doing so, she completely missed the look of pain that flashed through Chazz's eyes.

" Lexi, don't shoot him down like that!" Atticus implored, gripping his ukulele. " At least try to feel the love."

" The only thing either of you is about to feel is by foot breaking your noses!" The irritated blonde snapped. Atticus fairly withered under her gaze.

" That's cold, Lexi. After everything I'd been through, I thought my baby sister would be more sympathetic to-"

" I'll solve this for everyone!" Lia screamed, shoving valiantly at the arm Jaden had loosely locked around her waist. It didn't give. " Just let me _kill_ him!"

" Who? Atticus or Chazz?" Alexis sighed over her shoulder.

" Does it even matter at this point?"

" Tell you what, you get Chazz, I'll get Atticus, then we can blame it on some stuck up Obelisk and go start a business in Portugal."

" Make it Spain and we got a deal."

" How about Belgium? It'll be the last place they look for us."

" Yeah…I can see that working."

Hey!" Chazz's voice cut through their playful banter. Alexis turned to look at her opponent, fully prepared to chew him out for interrupting the most fun she'd had all day long, but found her angry words sticking to the back of her throat as she took in Chazz.

He was standing rigidly across from her, his fists clenched at his sides, his face all but hidden in the shadow of his long, dark bangs. From what little she could see, he had his lower lip between his teeth, and was worrying it in a very Lia-like fashion. The fists at his side were white-knuckled, and, if she focused in hard and squinted a little, she could see it trembling against the dirt speckled black of his trench coat. There was something under his usual bravado, something under the harsh tone and angry barbs and wicked snarls, something broken and cold that made Alexis stop. Chazz refused to look at her, his eyes, from what she could tell, gazing off into the far distant horizon. But the fragile, desperate edge to his voice stopped her anger and annoyance dead in their tracks.

" For once...just for once..." Chazz shuddered, almost invisibly, and behind him, Atticus' cheerful, if somewhat forced, grin faded away into a blank, cold face.

" Look at me!" Chazz whipped his head up to stare into her eyes. " Look at me, Lexi! For god sakes, just look at me! You don't have to love me, hell, you don't even have to like me, so long as you _look at me_!"

The dam that had broken in the restroom before his duel with Jaden and the bubbling hurt that had been reflected in his eyes the night of Banner's apparent betrayal (what had happened that night? All Alexis knew was that Jaden's face had been pale and haggard, and he'd gripped a book of alchemy in his hands like it was the last link to his sanity. Lia was shaken and Chazz had been brooding silently, but his actions towards Lia, while still as hostile and cruel as ever, were tinged with a strange sense of understanding.) came rushing out in a terrified garble of words. Alexis stood, stunned and ashamed that she was stunned (Chazz was human, just the same as everybody else. He was human and he had a heart and had she really gone out of her way to put him down and hurt him? Was she really any different from the arrogant Blues, who strutted around in their navy coats and their unearned pride, that she hated so much), as the tidal wave of words spilled out.

" Just look at me! Look at me and see me! That's all I'm asking! All I want is for you to see me!" Chazz's face was flushed and his eyes were overbright. Alexis had the oddest sensation of shame, as though it was terribly wrong for this outburst to come when Chazz was in full public view. Behind her, although she couldn't actually see it, she felt the awkward tension press into the others. Syrus looked away, Chumley stared at his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing on the beach, and Zane coughed awkwardly, looking out at the sea. Lia stared openly at Chazz for a moment, taking in his glittering eyes and clenched fists and remembered the long ago night before Bastian's duel, and fell slack against Jaden's arms, her bangs covering her eyes. Jaden alone continued to look at Chazz, his face blank but open. There was no awkwardness in the way he carefully turned Lia away from the older boy, and no hint of fear as he looked at Chazz's face. The older boy flicked his eyes away from Alexis' for an instant. His own gray pupils connected with the soft brown of Jaden's, and the younger boy gave one solitary, encouraging nod.

" My whole life..." Chazz began softly, "...my whole life, no one's ever looked at me. I've never...I didn't have friends. Not real ones. Not the kind who liked me for me. I was a Princeton. I was a Princeton before I was me, and I hated it." He shook his head, his bangs trembling. " I hated it! I hated being just one more variable in Slade and Jagger's plan! I hated being their puppet! I hated having to do everything, every little fucking thing, according to _their_ plan! Do you have any idea what that's _like_?!" Chazz spat at her, and Alexis stepped back at the intensity of his gaze. " Do you know what it feels like, to be told how to do every single thing? To not have a choice in _anything_? To live your whole goddamn life according to someone else's _plan_?!" Chazz was shouting again, but the first tears had finally gathered in the corners of his eyes, and it somehow humanized him. Alexis looked at him, at the pain in his glimmer eyes, and wondered why she'd never looked in them before.

" It's _suffocating_! Every breath felt like I was taking it through a choke hold! Every...every...it was wrong, okay?! Everything felt wrong! I didn't even know who I was! I wasn't anybody! I was a checkpoint, a method, and _that's it_! I was a way for my brothers to get what they wanted, and I wasn't anything more than that! And I couldn't...there wasn't any way to get out. Slade and Jagger...they're...they're my brothers. It's not worth much, but it's all I had. They were my brothers. Even when yelled at me, even when they told me how worthless I was, they were still my brothers. Even when they..." His fingers reached up and gently stroked the skin of his cheek, wincing as though it caused him pain. Behind her, Alexis heard Jaden suck in his breath. " They're my brothers. They still are, but...now it's...things are...it's different now." Chazz shook his head. " I'm different. Everything's...I don't have be their pawn anymore. Every step I take...it's not for Slade or Jagger anymore. I can...I can walk for myself. I can make my own path." His fingers closed around the deck resting in the duel disk. " I can finally...duel for myself now. It's not about what Slade and Jagger want from me anymore. It's about me. It's about what I want."

And then he was looking at her, with feverishly bright eyes, and there was something pleading, something broken, and something hopeful in them that stole Alexis' breath away.

" And I want you."

There was a beat of silence. Alexis reached her hand up, unaware that it was trembling violently, and pressed it to her suddenly racing heart. Behind her, his eyes still fixed on Chazz, Jaden smirked softly, squeezing Lia's shoulders. The girl in his arms slumped deeper into his embrace, her head turned away and her eyes glimmering under the curtain of her bangs. Syrus, shivering and unable to look at Chazz any longer (there was too much in those eyes. Too much what, Syrus wasn't sure. Maybe too much pain, or maybe too much fear, or anger. Or maybe, some half forgotten, deeply buried part of him whispered softly, there was too much _hope_) took a deep breath, and nearly choked as the tension in the air seemed to seep into his throat, clogging it and making him gag.

And as Syrus struggled for air, Lia raised her head and looked over Chazz's head, staring at the wispy ring of smoke that floated over the school from the volcano.

" Will..." Her voice was small, and for the first time, submissive. " Will it...be alright?"

" Of course." Jaden answered in a strange voice. It was somehow deeper, cockier, and all together too grown and old for it to sound right coming out of the mouth of a light-hearted goof like Jaden. If Syrus hadn't been so busy trying to adjust to the stressed atmosphere of the situation, he might have taken note of it, and that sound, the tone Jaden's voice took in that split second, would've stayed with him.

" I'm here, aren't I?"

And as those words, unheard to any but the trembling girl he held, slithered out of his mouth like serpents, the world beneath their feet tilted and shook with a might roar.

* * *

Hey everyone. This will be the last chapter for this part of today. After this, I'm going to bed, and will post again after I wake up. See you around noon-ish! I'm just kidding. ...More like two in the afternoon. Maybe three. Four definitely...maybefive.

Anywho, here we have the 'Chazzanova' episode, revamped and angstified for your viewing pleasure. I hope you enjoyed it. And Lia beating on Chazz. And Atticus...being Atticus. AND SURVIVING Lia's rage. He should get a plaque for that.

See you later today!

MoS


	52. The Choice

Warnings: Atticus freakout. If you thought he was all better, THINK AGAIN.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year One: The Academic**

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Lia slumped to the ground, boneless and listless, as the duel raged before her. Her head hung down to her chest, her eyes glittering vacantly from under her bangs. A hand was pressed against her chest, and her lower lip was slowly sucked into her mouth, a glint of white teeth visible as she bit down onto it. If she'd been standing, the quivering of her knees would've been far more obvious, but as it was, all that gave it away was the slight twitch in her legs as she pulled them under her rather limply supported body.

From his vantage point, Chazz looked at her (surprisingly still) upturned face. It was, as far as he could tell, rather pale and a little peaky, but other than that, gave no indication of there being something horrifically wrong. The hand that was clenched in her white shirt wasn't white-knuckled and the light material gave no hint of a red stain.

'_Good._' He thought, more relieved than he wanted to admit. ' _At least this way, she's not making everyone freak out._' He only dared to imagine the state Alexis would be in if Lia's condition (what a strange way to think of it, even if it was the only way that made any sense. It was strange to think that duelling, in any form, could cause someone so much pain. Well, no, that wasn't right. He knew how badly duelling could hurt a person, how badly it could tear them up. But that was a different kind of hurt, a hurt that happened deep inside, where no bandages could be put and no antiseptic could prevent infection. That kind of hurt just stayed there and festered, warping the person from the inside out. Chazz knew about that kind of hurt. Chazz knew it too well. But Lia's hurt was different. There was blood that dribbled through her clenched fingers and spread over her shirt and skin and splattered on the ground. There was proof and evidence of the hurt that Lia suffered. There was more proof for Lia's hurt than there was for his own, but somehow, Lia's hurt seemed so much worse. He had no idea why, but it might be the fact that while she had blood and proof and hurt on the outside, there was something completely broken in her eyes that told him it hurt on the inside too) started spreading across her white shirt like red ink. He didn't even want to think about Syrus screaming and fretting and trying to stop the blood flow, or Atticus gulping and looking away, all white and shaken, or even Zane calmly taking control of the situation and hauling the girl off to see Ms. Fontaine (and looking like a hero in front of Alexis, just like he always did. If it wasn't Jaden she was staring at, it was Zane, and while he had none of Jaden's innate talent for being a hero, he was still strong, and silent and _trying very hard_ to be a good big brother, which was more courtesy than Chazz ever got from either of his siblings).

But most of all, Chazz didn't want to think about the look that would be on Jaden's face when he found out that duelling caused actual, bloody _pain_ for someone he held so dear.

" Easy, French Bitch." He whispered through clenched teeth. The blanked eyes flickered up, and he met her gaze steadily.

" Just breathe, okay?" A little nod. " Just breathe, and it'll all be over before you know it."

" I feel sick." Lia whispered, and while it was weak, her voice was steady and her tone wasn't strained with pain.

" Well, if you need to puke, aim away from my shoes." There was a rush of air that might've been a snort. For once, Lia's unladylike manner was a bit of a comfort. She hadn't been right (or at least, what was perceived as right when it came to her- bitchy and angry and snarky and reluctant but willing to love everyone way deep down) since she'd screamed that terrible scream on the night they'd gotten Syrus back, and slipped away from the world for over two weeks.

" I mean it." He snapped, more for form's sake than anything else. " These are expensive shoes, and I really doubt that you have the means to foot the bill if anything happens to them." There was a definite snort from her that time. " Stupid bitch."

" Chazz!" Alexis snapped at him, but there was far less heat in her gaze than there had once been and she seemed to stumble over her words as he looked right at her. " Don't...don't be mean. Lia's just...Lia's..."

She was so beautiful, all hesitant and gentle, like Chazz could never remember seeing her before. There was something girlish and soft about her, like her cold exterior had melted away and left nothing but her tender heart and even more tender feelings in its wake. She had, over the course of the year, become less and less of the icy queen who ruled over the Blues. It was as if something had been unlocked deep down; it was like Alexis had found something she'd lost when she came to Duel Academy.

Chazz swallowed hard, and fought to hold her gaze.

" ...You shouldn't be so mean." Alexis concluded lamely.

" If he wasn't, I'd be worried." Lia hauled herself slowly to her feet. Around her, the world shook, and she stumbled over her own two feet, leaning on Chazz's shoulder for support. The boy shrugged her off as soon as she stopped wobbling.

" Watch it, sweetheart, that's a tender area." He rubbed the junction of his shoulder and neck, still aching from the pull of the Spirit Gate Keys.

" In case you didn't notice, I was practically dragged through the woods." Lia hissed at him. " None of us are in any particular shape to go at it right now."

" So why do you keep trying to start something?"

" _Me_? You're the one with the attitude!"

" That's just the way I am! _You're_ one who has a _problem_ with it!"

" Anyone in their right _mind_ would have a problem with it!"

" Sweetie, you're giving yourself _way_ too much credit."

" _That's it_!"

" O-_kay_!" Atticus yelped as he caught Lia around the waist and shoulders. As she swore violently (when had she regained her ire? Chazz vaguely wondered – vaguely, because there were terrifying roars all around them and a decrepit, obviously insane old man in some metallic monstrosity at their front and Jaden with his back to them all, cards clenched in his white-knuckled fist and duel disk alight and it was all so distracting that Chazz wondered how he could think at all in the energy saturated air – if her anger at him might have anything to do with it), the older boy hauled her to his chest, effectively pinning her arms to her sides. Lia struggled, but her fatigue and strange bouts of weakness over the past few days were obviously not fully passed, because Atticus' grip held her steady.

" I don't know if either of you two has noticed, but the fate of the world is being decided." His voice was harsh, and Chazz flinched. " Now, I have no idea what that means to you guys, but to me, it's kinda a big deal."

Alexis' lips settled into a grim line.

" Atty, listen, this isn't-"

A tremor cut her off, and she went tumbling over. Chazz twisted around to look at her, despite his protesting neck, and fell over backwards, his head lying over the edge of the pit where Jaden and Kagemaru were duelling. The rope burns on the back of his neck and head screamed in pain, and Chazz grit his teeth as he tried to ignore it. Sitting up, he pulled his head forward and was rewarded with a crunching 'crack' as the joints slid back into place.

' _That_,' he thought with a wince, ' _sounded __**bad**_.'

Behind them, Uria of the Flames burst into a million little shards as Tempest finished his attack. The dozens of high buildings created by Jaden's Skyscraper were lit up by the explosion of light that accompanied the destruction of the monster. From next to where Alexis lay sprawled and Atticus sheltered Lia from the blast, Syrus whimpered softly in his brother's arms.

" W-why are those things...." Syrus shuddered. " W-Why..." The dark red creature gave a grating screech that echoed even as it vanished. Syrus pressed himself deeper into Zane's chest and slapped his hands over his ears.

" Not real." He hissed. " Not real, not real, not real!" His entire body shook. " I'm out. I'm not there. Th-they can't h-hurt me. They can't, they can't. They...They..." Kagemaru's chilling laughter reached them and as a column of flames shot up from the duelling field again, Syrus turned to his brother with panicked eyes. " Zane!"

The elder tightened his grip on his brother.

" They can't hurt you, Sy. They won't. I..." He squeezed Syrus' shoulders reassuringly. " ...I won't let them."

Chazz immediately looked away, his cheeks tinted with a faint blush. It seemed so strange to him, but at the same time, the moment was something private, and if there was one thing Chazz respected, it was people needing their privacy in order to be able to function in society. Instead of looking, he reached over and helped Alexis to her feet, dusting himself off with his free hand. In front of them, Lia struggled to push Atticus off.

" I'm fine!"

" No, you're not."

" I'm perfectly alright. Now let go!"

" You're almost dead on your feet."

" It's none of your business, now let go!"

" Ottilia!" Atticus shouted. Lia froze at the sound of her full name. She turned, slowly, to face the boy behind her.

Atticus' face was completely transformed. The sparkle and mirth that had been in his eyes during Chazz's duel with Alexis had vanished, replaced with a cold fury and a dark, foreboding look. His face seemed t blacken as he glared, full force (when, Chazz wondered, was the last time anyone had seen Atticus so mad?) at the weakened Academic. The grim line his mouth was set in and the lines that followed the furrow of his brow radiated a sharp, biting anger that seemed to freeze the blood in the veins of those nearest and render them immobile. Lia herself lowered her head, unable to hold his gaze, and slumped her shoulders dejectedly. The submissive action caught Chazz by surprise, but he had no time to wonder about it as Atticus opened his mouth.

" Now is _not_ the time for your petty arguments with Chazz and your irrational fear of letting people get close. Be quiet!" He hissed as Lia's head rose, her lips parted and frowning. She immediately dropped her head back down, utterly cowed. " I don't know _why_ you are so terrified of letting people help you, but whether you like it or not, we're in this _together_." He pointed to the duel, where the mist that had filled the field was parted to reveal a desolate, gray wasteland, and Kagemaru prepared to summon another Beast. " You see that? Do you see it?" His eyes narrowed. " Look over there, Ottilia!"

Hazel eyes flicked over to the duel and then back to her feet again.

" _That_ is our fate right now. _That_ is what decides whether we live or die. _That_ decides what happens to the rest of the world. And no matter how much you try to shut it out, you are a _part_ that world hanging in the balance, Lia." His eyes softened a little. " And Jaden is the only thing standing between us and total destruction."

" It's a fucking game _of cards_!" Lia screamed suddenly, her head shooting up as she took a step towards Atticus. " It's a game of cards, and all it relies on is fucking luck and maybe something resembling a strategy! It's not...it isn't..." Lia stuttered over her words. " ...what's the worst that could happen? They're just cards. I'm sure the police can-"

Even Chazz's jaw dropped as Atticus smacked Lia on the temple.

To her credit, the girl only staggered, but stayed upright, despite her shaky posture and shivering limbs. Reaching up, she touched the upper right half of her face, where a faint pink colour had flooded to the surface. Through the wild curtain of her dishevelled hair, one hazel orb glared at Atticus.

" Big Brother!" Alexis gasped, reaching forward. Whether she was trying to get to Atticus or Lia, Chazz never found out, because Atticus cut her off.

" Do you know," he said softly, " ...what happened to the Academics that came with us the night all those students disappeared?" He didn't wait for Lia to shake her head, but continued, in a blank, frighteningly steady voice.

" They were devoured alive by the shadows."

Lia went very still, her hand falling away from her face. Alexis' hand dropped back to her side, and she stared in horror at her brother.

" They were sucked in with us, but the shadow creatures didn't even bother to save them for later. They understood that they had no duelling spirits, that their energies were governed by different rules and honed by different skills. They just jumped on them and absorbed them." Atticus' eyes hardened. " While we were forced to watch, two of our friends were _sucked_ into nothingness. There weren't even bodies. There weren't any remains. They just vanished."

Lia stood, her face pale and for the first time, fear alive and kicking in her eyes as Atticus stepped towards her.

" Do you understand now, Ottilia? Do you understand what will happen if those _cards_ get a hold of you? They can suck out our duel spirits and use it for energy, but the only spirit you have to offer is your very soul." He stood right in front of her , eyes blazing. Lia met his gaze with the same look Chazz imagined someone having as they looked at an oncoming train. Her whole body trembled, but Atticus ignored her terror and placed a hand on her shoulder.

" They'll do more than just kill you, Lia. They'll rob you of any chance you ever had at rebirth. They will steal every life you have lived before this and any life you may have lived. They will tear the soul from your body and leave your flesh to rot. This isn't just a card game." And under his hand, Lia's shoulder spasmed. " It was never just a card game. The more you try to deny it, the higher the chance is that you'll die."

Finally, as though the word 'die' had unlocked something inside of her, Lia gave a terrified yelped and pushed back against Atticus, sending her body stumbling over her own feet and on a collision with the ground below. Quick as a snake, Atticus' arm shot out and his hand encircle her wrist, yanking her back against him. Lia let out another shriek, struggling and pushing against his chest, trying to get away from him.

" Atticus, that's enough!" Alexis yelled at her brother. " You're scaring her!"

" She should be scared!" Atticus retaliated, eyes fierce. " By hanging around with us, especially with Jaden, she's put herself in danger! Every time someone comes after him because of his duelling spirit, she's going to get caught in the crossfire with no powers, no cards, and nothing to offer up except her own soul! The Beasts thrive on duel energy! They are going to suck the life out of all the cards in the world unless Jaden can control them! They are going to tear our duelling spirits and wills right out of our bodies!"

" Atticus, stop it!" Alexis tried again, but her brother cut her off, holding up his hand to silence her.

" Don't you get it!?" He asked incredulously. Under his harsh tone, his voice sounded raw, and, even though they were hard and cruel, his eyes were filmed over with tears. " Don't you _understand_?! We'll survive it, Lexi. We get to live. We'll have lost our will to duel, and our love for the game, but we'll be _alive_, if that means anything! But her?" He shook the hand he held and Lia pulled against his hold. " Lexi, if Jaden loses, hell, if Jaden lets this duel drag on too long, this girl is as good as dead. All the Academics, all the non-duelists of the world will follow, but _she'll_ be the first. Not Syrus, not me, not Jaden, but _her_." He thrust Lia at his sister. " The Beasts don't care that she's a 14-year-old girl with her whole life ahead of her. They don't care that she honestly has nothing to do with this. They don't care that they won't be ripping out a duelling spirit, but her own soul. They. Don't. _Care. _So get serious and realize how much danger you're in." Atticus sighed, and the blackened colour of his expression faded away. " I don't wanna see you die."

" I won't let them!" Alexis snapped, grabbing Lia around the shoulders. " I won't let anyone do anything to her! She's my friend and...and...and I'll protect her no matter what!"

Lia looked at Alexis as though she had never seen her before, while Atticus scowled at his sister's declaration.

" Alexis..."

" You won't be able to."

Alexis' grip tightened.

" Oh yeah? Watch me. Lia." She smiled shakily down at the girl. " Don't worry. No matter what happens, I won't let those Beasts get you, okay?" Lia simply stared at her, as though she was looking through her, or she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. " _Believe me_." Alexis implored. " I'll take care of you."

" Alexis, you won't be _able_ to!" Atticus yelled, glaring at his sister. " We're talking about three awesomely powerful monsters that can _suck her soul out! _You'll blink and she'll be dead on the ground! How exactly do you intend to protect her?!"

" I'll find a way! I don't know what it is yet, but I'll find it and I'll protect her!"

" Damnit, Alexis, quit being stubborn! You're powerless in this situation!"

" Shut up, you don't understand!"

" You're the one who doesn't understand! We need to get her out of here right now, or else-"

" I couldn't protect you, but I am damn well _going to protect her_!"

Atticus' eyes widened.

" Lexi..."

" I couldn't...when you needed me most, I wasn't there...I never did anything to save you...so I can't let anything happen to Lia, I just c_an't_-"

" I think you're all forgetting something very important."

All three, Alexis with her pleading eyes and Atticus with his shocked face and even Lia, with her numbed limbs and frightened face and stunned eyes turned to look at Chazz. The boy had his arms crossed over his chest and his face set in its habitual scowl, his whole body tense and agitated. He was tapping his left foot against the ground angrily.

" You all seem to have conveniently forgotten once very crucial factor in all this." He opened his eyes. " Shanner. Chose. This."

From her place at Alexis' side, Lia looked up, her face puzzled.

" She chose to come here with us. She chose to face the Beasts. She chose to follow Jaden."

" She didn't know-" Atticus started.

" Bullshit!" Chazz hissed. " She's had plenty of chances to run since Day One. All of us have. But for some god unknown reason, we all stayed. We've been offered dozens of outs along the way, and none of us took them. Not me, not Lexi, and especially not Shanner. We're all here today because we wanna be. Maybe it was the wrong choice, maybe it was a stupid choice, but the point here is that it was _our_ choice. If Shanner's still standing here after everything you've told her, then good for her. If she dies, well, then she can die having made an informed decision." Chazz shrugged. " We all decided that we were here to the bitter end. Even a bitch like Shanner can appreciate the commitment in that."

" Chazz, that isn't fair to her-"

" The only thing that's unfair is refusing to give her the choice to stay." Chazz glared at the older boy. " People like to have control over their lives, Atticus. Trust me when I say that taking away that control tends to make them irritable."

Atticus looked down.

" Chazz, I understand that, really I do, but you've got to see it from my point of view. I...the things I saw...they were-"

" That doesn't give you the right to tell her to run away if she doesn't want to!"

" She doesn't deserve to die!"

" It's her choice!"

" Who in their right mind would choose to st-"

" I'm staying."

Lia had pushed herself out of Alexis' side. The weakness that had plagued her seemed to have evaporated, even as, on his side of the field, Winged Kuriboh took the blazing attack meant for Jaden. The resulting explosion lit up half of Lia's face, casting the other half into shadow. Her eyes glimmered in the flashing light, and if Chazz squinted, he could see the tensing of her shoulders as she clenched her fists. For a split second, as the light of Winged Kuriboh's death died down, the haughty, bitchy teenager who kept everyone at arm's length and the frightened school-girl who'd trembled as Atticus explained her eventual, gruesome fate faded away, and in her place stood a proud, determined woman.

" I'm not going anywhere." Lia reiterated, and tossed her hair out or her eyes with a motion of her head.

" Lia..." Atticus looked at her with resignation. " Do you even understand what you're risking by staying?"

" Not entirely." Her eyes narrowed. " But...but running away...it just feels wrong..."

" And dying doesn't?" His voice was sardonic, and Chazz thought he saw a slump of defeat in the older Obelisk's shoulders.

" Well, yeah...I guess. It's just...Chazz is...right." She grimaced. " It's my choice. And I'm choosing to stay."

Then she winced.

" You have no idea how hard that was to say."

Chazz snorted.

" Get used to it, though, 'cause it's usually the truth." He puffed out his chest. Lia whipped around to face him, her face dark.

" Hey jackass! Don't go projecting your problems onto my situation! Deal with your own demons!"

" Projecting! Who the fuck's projecting?! And for that matter, what sorry sonovabitch would project onto _you_?"

" You got something to say, Princeton?"

" Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that you were deaf as well as _ugly_! "

" _What_ did you just say to me! "

" And there they go." Alexis muttered, rubbing her temples. Atticus stood beside her, his mouth hanging open just the slightest and his eyes wide. " What? "

" ..." Atticus shook his head. " No, it's nothing." There was a beat of silence, where Lia screamed at Chazz and Chazz shouted back and both of them fought hard to keep their wits as Jaden fought to save them all, and then Atticus turned to his sister.

" Lexi?"

" Yeah?"

He smiled warmly.

" You...made some very good friends while I was away."

Alexis blinked, her brother's statement slowly registering as the duelling arena lit up in flames and explosions. She turned to look at Chazz and Lia, and then at Zane and Syrus, the latter of which was clinging to the former's arm, pale, but steadfast, looking into the eyes of the Beasts as they towered over Kagemaru's side of the field. Chumley stood on Syrus' other side, ready to use his bulk to shield his small friend from view, and beside that group stood Bastian, shouting encouragements at Jaden, who was poised with his duel disk and cards at the ready, his face unseen, but an aura of determination radiating off of him in waves.

She smiled softly.

" Yeah, I did."

" I couldn't agree more."

Both Rhodes siblings whipped around as a sharp, female voice cut through the roaring of the infuriated Beasts and the collective thundering hearts of all the spectators.

Yasmin, the Gravekeeper's Assailant, walked silently out of the shadows.

* * *

A little later than promised, I know, but I slept like the dead last night, and just couldn't wake up this morning. Seriously, I'd close my eyes for a second, and open them up half an hour later. Weird.

And we are fast approaching the ending. How do you like the little twist at the end there? And Atticus' rant? the boy has issues, which I will continue to explore throughout later Years. And Chazz. Who loves Chazz? I love Chazz so much right here. He's being his usual, prissy self, and at the same time, he's giving a pep talk. Yay!

See you soon!

MoS


	53. The Light

Warnings: Things get a little freaky again, Jaden gets a little bit weird. Again.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year One: The Academic**

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There was a beat of stunned, utterly bowled-over silence, in which Alexis felt her jaw nearly unhinged itself from the rest of her skull. The woman before her, dressed the same as she'd been that awful day that felt so long ago (the musk of the coffin around her, a lid slowly sliding shut, the dark pressing in on all sides again. The very thought made her feel sick), stood about two meters away from the siblings, her eyes flicking from their shocked forms to the battle raging behind them. Alexis opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to form the words that were whizzing around in her head, the sounds blurring together until she thought there might as well be bees buzzing around in her for all the sense she could make of her thoughts. She took a hazardous step forward, reaching a hand out as if to try and grasp at anything that would make the situation more bearable for her.

" Wha-" She started, but was but off by a reddish blur.

Atticus shot past his sister, almost toppling her over in his mad dash to get to the older girl. Alexis waved her arms about frantically, her eyes wide to the point of it being comedic and hopping from side to side. When she finally regained her balance, she looked to yell at her brother, only to find him with his arms wrapped around the Gravekeeper's Assailant, his face a mixture of disbelief and indescribable joy.

" Yasmin..." He breathed.

" Hello Atticus." Yasmin smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. " It's been a while, hasn't it?" She reached up a hand to gentle pat one of the arms that was encircling her. " You've been well, I hope."

Atticus didn't give her a reply. He merely stared at her for a moment, drinking in the sight of the woman in his arms.

Then he dipped his head, tightened his arms, and crushed his mouth to hers with a desperate, frantic passion.

This time, Alexis was pretty sure that her jaw _did_ disconnect from her skull, from the speed it dropped open, if nothing else.

Alexis was aware that girls flocked to her brother, no matter what they looked like or where they were from. Her brother had always and _would_ always give off a massive amount of natural charm and amazing charisma. He was just that type of person. His easy-going ways and ability to make friends (he'd been the one to thaw Zane out. Alexis had very few, very sketchy details to go on, but from what she could gather, it had become Atticus' mission, during some point in his first year, to befriend the lofty Kaiser, just because the boy had looked so damn lonely the first time Atticus had seen him. And that was another thing about Atticus. Underneath all his pomp and bluster and silly schemes and crazy ideas, he had a heart of gold – like so many of the friends she'd made this year - , and he had never been afraid to use it to help someone) made him almost ridiculously popular with the opposite (and sometimes, same) sex.

Alexis knew her brother could have his pick. There wasn't a girl who wouldn't give her left foot to be his date for a dance, and there were a healthy amount of guys who'd agree to a night out. Atticus was, as far as Alexis had always been concerned, universally adored, from his many friends to his hordes of besotted fans to his admiring family, who loved and cherished and encouraged him right from the start.

But Atticus had never been really serious about anybody.

There had been a few girls here and there, and once to twice, a guy who caught his attention (she'd actually been a little scared that Atticus might vie for Jaden's attentions once he'd come back to himself, because cute, optimistic, and sweet were a common trait among Atticus' dates), and he'd even gone out with someone (in his letters home, there was no specification of gender. Early on, Alexis had learned not to expect her brother to come home with just girls, and so she'd always wondered about the mystery person) for as long as three and half months before the break up (on whose end was also conveniently left out of his letters).

So Alexis had always expected her brother to be popular. She'd also expected that when he fell, he would fall hard and fast, and become as besotted with his chosen partner as his fans were with him. So really, the sight of him passionately locking lips with a beautiful girl shouldn't have been as big a shock as it was.

Unfortunately, Alexis found that there was a world of difference between talking about something, and experience the real thing.

" Huh-Wha?!" Was her garbled response.

Next to her, Lia and Chazz had frozen mid-fight, their bodies facing each other but their eyes fixed on the sight before them. Chazz blinked several times, but the image of Atticus kissing the girl in his arms remained. He opened and closed his mouth several times, and for once, though he looked like a goldfish, Lia had no snarky comment on his actions.

She was too busy staring.

Slapping her hands over her mouth, Lia tried very hard to stifle an embarrassed squeak, even as her face went from the angry purple it tended to take on when she was arguing with Chazz to a bright, shocked crimson. Her eyes widened considerably, and, if Alexis hadn't been so stunned by the display her brother was putting on for the world to see, she might have laughed. Lia looked far too much like a child at the moment, and it only added to Alexis' perception of her younger friend being adorable.

" I-I-I..." Lia stuttered, her voice high-pitched.

" You've got to be shitting me." Chazz muttered, his left eye twitching rather violently and a frown on his face. Behind him, Zane dropped his face into his hand with a 'smack'.

" Oh dear god."

" A-Atticus!" Alexis had finally regained her voice. " Wh-What do you think you're _doing_?! There are _people_ here! For god sakes, have some _dignity_!"

" This is _Atticus_ you're talking to, Lex." Zane's voice was muffled by his hand.

" But _still_!" Alexis shouted in despair. Lia edged closer to the older girl, her hands having migrated from her mouth to her chest, but her face no less red.

" Sh-Should we...stop them?" She asked.

" You wanna get in the middle of that?" Alexis huffily pointed at the embrace. Lia grimaced.

" Not really, no."

" Then I don't think there's much we can do."

" Is it...normal?"

" Huh?"

" For them...for...well, they've been at it for a _while_..."

" And knowing my brother, they'll just keep going."

" F-For real?"

" Yup."

" Oh."

" Uh-huh."

" Hmmm..."

" What?"

" Maybe we should yell at them."

" What do you think I've been doing?"

" No, sorry. Maybe _I_ should yell at them."

" What difference would t_hat_ make?"

" Shut up, Princeton."

" If you think it'll help, Lia..."

" 'Kay." Lia took a deep breath, and tried to control the blush on her face. As it was, she ended up screwing her eyes tightly shut.

" Hey!" She shouted, with no reaction. She tried again. " _Hey_!" Again, nothing. Twitching and clearly reaching her limit (not that it was an extremely long fuse to begin with, but to be fair, Atticus and Yasmin were starting to get rather obnoxious. And the day, what with Chazz's impromptu duel and subsequent confession, the appearance of the Sacred Beasts and Jaden being forced to duel to save the world, not to mention the prospect of all the cards, duelling spirits, and her own soul being sucked out and devoured, had been stressful enough without discovering one of Atticus' trysts), Lia crouched down, picked up a pebble, and righted herself, her face flushed with fury this time, and her eyes flashing.

" I said, _cut it out_!" She yelled, hurling the pebble at the couple. It connected (with a frightening force that made Chazz wonder why he was so keen on pissing the girl off, and had Zane wincing as he remembered the painful textbook he'd taken to the shoulder before Christmas vacations) with the side of Atticus' head and sent him stumbling over to the side, hopping on one foot.

" What the-"

" The next time I say stop, you s_top_, got it?" Lia hissed. Atticus blinked at her, finally gaining back his footing.

" Kitten?" He tried, but Lia gnashed her teeth.

" What. Did you. Say. To. Me?" She ground out.

" Nice throw?" Atticus replied in a squeaky voice, holding up his hands as a sign of surrender. From her place at his side, Yasmin gave Lia a strange look.

" You..." She whispered, looking Lia up and down. " Who...who exactly a_re_ you?"

Lia blinked, her scowling face melting away into a puzzled one.

" Huh? I'm...I'm me." She answered lamely, pointing to herself. " I'm...Lia. Just Lia."

" Li...a..." Yasmin rolled the name over her tongue. Then she levelled Lia with a penetrating stare. Lia went very still, her eyes wide and her body stiff, as the dark woman began to walk forward.

" Ah, Yasmin?" Atticus asked. She ignored him, and reached forward to place a hand against the side of Lia's face. " Sweetheart?" He tried again.

" Tell me..." Yasmin whispered, leaning closer to the girl.

" Ottilia..." Lia murmured, her voice small and distant. " Ottilia Margot Shanner."

Yasmin shook her head.

" I need to know." Her thumb brushed over Lia's cheek. " Please, the truth."

And Lia seemed to sway, her eyes fluttering to half mast. She looked up at Yasmin for a split second, her gaze blank and guarded, before turning her head to stare at the duel behind her. The three Beasts reared up behind Kagemaru, little orbs of light floating towards them from the cards each of the duelists present were holding. Jaden's cards alone seemed unaffected, and Jaden alone seemed to be completely in control of his own body, standing upright and straight, his spirit still clearly in his body. All around him, the spirits of the duel monsters screamed and pleaded, rushing past him, and flowing into the hulking forms of the Sacred Beasts. Syrus gripped Zane's arm tightly and Alexis seemed to be clutching at mid air, her mouth forming the words 'Cyber Tutu' over and over again. Against his chest, Chazz had curled his arm up, and desperate whining could be heard for the crook of his elbow. By his head, resting on his shoulder, Winged Kuriboh pressed its tiny, fluffy body against Jaden, cooing softly and fluttering its pale wings.

Suddenly, as if sensing her gaze (but then, that tiny little fur ball had always been strange when it came to her), Winged Kuriboh turned, and it's large, purple eyes connected with Lia's hazel ones.

" The East..." Lia whispered, in a voice higher and younger than her own. " The golden sun breaking the night. The-"

" Dawn." Yasmin breathed, staring at Lia like she'd never seen her before.

Then there was a flash of light from Jaden's side of a field (a strange, glowing, silvery light that didn't so much encompass as it did slither in between the shadows of the monsters and the bright explosions of their deaths. It burned and glittered, shifting like it was a shadow all its own, coiling around Jaden's legs and reaching up his torso to rest on his shoulders), and Lia grabbed her chest with a shriek of pain, collapsing to the ground as Yasmin wrapped her arms around her.

" Lia!" Alexis shouted, darting over, one hand still curled around empty space. Atticus took a cautious step forward, looking down as Yasmin cradled the shaking girl in her arms. Lia twisted her whole body, clutching her one hand to the front of her shirt, alternating between shouting angry curses in French and sobbing like a frightened child. She pressed her face deep into Yasmin's stomach, crying loudly, and the hand entangled in her shirt switched from grasping to clawing, ripping at the fabric with blunt, useless nails.

" What's wrong with her?!" Alexis dropped to her knees beside the distraught girl.

" Yasmin, what is it?" Atticus crouched down beside the woman, one hand on her back.

" She is..." Yasmin trailed off as Lia gave another scream, her other hand clawing at Yasmin's exposed leg.

" She hurts sometimes." Chazz came to a stop behind Alexis. The girl whipped around, ready to demand an explanation, but the look in his eyes, the half scared, half understanding look he directed at Lia, stopped her dead.

" Hurt how?" Atticus said slowly, one hand reaching down to pat Lia's head. Yasmin reached up and caught the hand before it made contact, shaking her head quickly.

" No, you mustn't. This pain..." Her eyes narrowed. " ...This...reaction...it isn't normal."

" Of course not, she's in _pain_!" Alexis snarled, grabbing at Lia's shoulder to haul her away. Lia snapped up as the hand touched her, eyes wild and hair falling into those wild eyes as she seemed to stare through Alexis and Chazz to the duel behind them. The silvery light hadn't dimmed, and silhouetted against it was the form of Jaden Yuki, his legs apart and his stance giving off waves of confidence. Trembling, Lia reached one hand forward, the one still yanking at her top, pulling and ripping and clawing as though she was trying to get under it, trying to get under her skin and pull out whatever it was that was causing her such pain. She panted, sweat dripping off her chin and gathering on the furrow on her pale, almost white brow. Her lips trembled as her mouth opened and closed several times, slowly forming shapes of words that were stuck somewhere in her throat. The chest under her clawing hand was heaving, and the hand she had extended forward was shaking so bad it seemed to blur into movement, just a flesh colour distortion in the air around it.

But what drew Alexis' eye was the steadily growing red stain that spread out for under Lia's hand on her shirt.

" What," Alexis said softly, slowly, and dangerously, " in the Hell is that?"

" Shit!" Chazz dropped hastily to the ground beside Alexis.

" What?" The girl yelled at him, the anger in her tone doing nothing to hide the fear in her eyes.

" She's bleeding again!"

" _Again_?! This has happened _before_?!"

" She- She told me..." Chazz trailed off, cowed under Alexis' fury and Atticus' curious eyes. Lia detached her clawing hand and used it to balance as she dragged her body forward, her legs still folded uselessly underneath her. The dark splotch of red spread farther as the fabric of the shirt stuck to her skin, wet and sticky and so horribly red it made Alexis sick.

" What did she tell you?" Yasmin asked firmly. Chazz looked away, his expression distraught. " Tell me what she told you."

"She..." Chazz bit the inside of his cheek, remembering Lia's frightened eyes as she grit her teeth and tried to ride out the wave of pain that surged through her. " She..."

" Chazz, tell us!" Alexis snapped.

Chazz lowered his head so that his bangs fell into his eyes, and stood abruptly. Without looking at any of his friends, the boy marched quickly to the edge of the pit where the duel was still raging.

" Slacker!" He shouted. " Hurry up and finish this!"

Jaden gave no indication that he'd heard.

" Slacker, I mean it!" Chazz's voice was rough and his tone was desperate. Jaden tilted his head back just a little, and raised his hand just enough for Chazz to see a strange looking card (unlike any he'd ever seen before) held between his fingers.

" Chazz, don't put more pressure on Jaden!" Alexis stormed up behind him. " He's doing the best he-"

" Damnit, Jaden!" Chazz's yell was half drowned out as Lia gave another sobbing wail. " _You're hurting her_!"

Alexis and Zane beside her whipped around to face him.

" What?!" The girl seemed stunned, and Zane's eyes widened.

" You're hurting her!" Chazz shouted again, and this time, there was frustrated pain in his voice. " She's in pain! Don't you even c_are_?!"

There was a pause, as if everything, every monster and creature in the duel had frozen, and Jaden tilted his head back even further, the card in his hand started to flash with a bright, gleaming light that was entirely different from the light that was slowly but surely slithering over him. From the angle he stood at, Chazz could swear there was a half-smirk on Jaden's face, a completely out of character expression that should have worried him far more than it did. Instead, there was a strange sense of calm settling over him, and much as he tried to fight it, a slow, strangely understanding smile made its way onto his face.

" Protect her, Gravekeeper." He heard the whisper, and turned to see Yasmin pulling a struggling Lia to her, wrapping the girl tightly in her arms and bowing her head over hers, shielding Lia from the sight of the duel. Yasmin raised her eyes, and looked past the gathered duelists, and right at Jaden.

She nodded firmly, and tucked her chin over the crown of Lia's head.

The smirk grew.

Somewhere in his subconscious, a part of Chazz reared back and tried to push away from the look on Jaden's face (or, what little he could see of Jaden's face). There was something wrong about how _right_ the expression looked there, something off about how perfect the calm determination and sense of prowess fit over Jaden's shoulders like a mantle. Suddenly, he was back on the first day of school, watching the newbies take their entrance tests, and staring down into the stadium as some punk with a too big grin and too stupid cards and a much too perfect hand obliterated Crowler and won his place at Duel Academy. Suddenly, it was October, and Jaden was running his fingers over the strange words and symbols on the wall of the Abandoned Dorm and leaving glowing trails in his wake, his whole form light up from the shimmering glyphs. And then he was facing off with Chazz for the school duel, and Chazz was staring, blown away and humbled as Jaden offered his hand to pull Chazz back up out of the swirling, sinking darkness that surrounded him. Then he was fighting the Shadow Riders and trying to protect the Spirit Keys, all the while smiling and joking like it all meant nothing, trying to hide the fear of losing something much more precious than a duel that flitted through his eyes.

And then, Jaden was down in the crypt, and Chazz was staring at the school from a distance, the entire thing lit up with a strange, swirling silver light, everything spilling out of it like ripples, and Chazz felt his whole body respond, lift up in a wave of hope and understanding.

And then he was back, staring at the back of Jaden's head, the three Sacred Beats rearing back and roaring for all they were worth, sucking in the bright orbs of light that were the duel monsters and duel spirits from all around them. Somewhere behind him, Lia gave a sob of pain, and Yasmin let out a soft wail, but all Chazz could see was the silver light, slowly wriggling up Jaden's body and down his right arm to gather over the card he held in between his fingers. The swirling light shifted over the card, sinking into it the way the little pieces of the duelists sunk into the Beasts. The card began to emit a soft light, and against his arm, Ojama Yellow, pale and nearly unable to move, moved his head weakly.

" B-Boss..." he whispered in a soft voice. " Boss, that light..."

Chazz just nodded, reaching up to press the Ojama Trio deeper into the crook of his elbow as several small bits of light were pulled from them.

" Yeah. I know." He whispered.

Next to him, Alexis sank to her knees, one hand still clasped in the weak fingers of Cyber Tutu, who was kneeling at her master's side.

" Wha..." Her voice was hushed. " What...that...that light..."

And across the field, Kagemaru, who could see Jaden's face, was staring at the boy with a mixture of awe and terror, taking a step back as Jaden made to put the card down onto his duel disk.

" No." The superintendent shook his head frantically. " No, no there's no way."

Jaden placed the card on his disk with a slap.

" You c_an't_!" Kagemaru shouted in terror, tripping over his own feet in his hurry to get away from his opponent. " It's impossible, it can't be!"

Jaden took one step forward, and, without saying anything, pointed up at his hero Electrum, who was hovering over the field, gleaming and golden. A beam of light shot up from Jaden's duel disk and connected with Electrum's open hand, shifting and coiling over itself until it became a gleaming, black and silver weapon, two massive blades connected by a handle in the middle. Electrum grasped at the handle, and lowered himself into a striking stance.

Kagemaru crab-walked backwards, staring, not at the monster prepared to attack, but at Jaden himself with the utmost horror.

" No..." He whispered weakly.

And the voice that answered him was older and darker, filled with the knowledge of having both power and ability to wield it, and it made Lia, smothered against Yasmin's trembling and strained body, raise her head the tiniest bit, fearful recognition in her eyes.

" Yes."

And as Electrum slammed into the Sacred Beasts, no one noticed that the light that explodes outwards and erased the images of the Beast didn't come from the explosion, but from another source entirely.

Kagemaru let out a horrified shriek and the people on the edges of the pit were blown backwards by the force the light that shot upwards to disable the ring of energy from column to column. As the light washed over her, Lia pressed her face into Yasmin's shoulder and bit down as hard as she could, trying to stifle her blood-curdling scream. Alexis went flying backwards, Cyber Tutu with her, and Chazz skidded back to land beside Yasmin, who was being braced by Atticus. Zane and Syrus were thrown to the ground, grabbing at the rocks and tufts of grass by the hands to keep from being blown away. Bastian had fallen into a one-kneed crouch, digging his fingers into the dirt and gritting his teeth as the wind blew loosened pebbles into his face.

And as the light died down, Jaden Yuki turned from his beaten opponent, and walked toward his friends, leaving Kagemaru to release the glowing orbs as the cards and spirits slowly regain themselves.

He was smirking the whole time.

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Squee! I'm getting really excited! We're nearing the end here, people! And trust me, it will leave more questions than answers, just the way I like it! See you soon!

MoS


	54. The Duel

Warnings: Sad, and then crack, and then a strange sense of resolution.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

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**Year One: The Academic**

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Yasmin collapsed, her body sagging against Lia's. The girl in her arms gave a muffled yelp, quickly detaching her teeth from the shoulder she'd snuck them into. One hand came up shakily to steady the Gravekeeper's Assailant, but Yasmin felt her strength give out, and fell completely against Lia's own overworked and very weak form.

The two slumped to the ground, Yasmin on top and Lia flushing as the older woman pressed heavily into her, trying hard to breathe.

" Are-Are you...okay?" The younger girl asked tentatively, reaching one shaky hand out to prod at Yasmin. Weakly, Yasmin opened her eyes and fought to raise her head. Lia looked at her quizzically, dirt smearing her face and minor cuts along her arms from the stray rocks blown at them from the explosive end of the duel. But the worst by far was the large, dark stain that had spread over the front of her shirt, which was still clinging to her front. Yasmin breathed a sigh of relief, however, when she saw the clear, alert pair of eyes that were looking her over, trying to find out what was causing her sudden fatigue. Then she winced as the rush of air from her lungs caused her body to sag painfully.

" I've..." She broke off coughing. " I've used too much."

" Too much?" Lia pushed them up slightly. Unnoticed beside them, Atticus moan, rolling over on his side, his temple bleeding slightly from the rock that had struck it. He did not wake up.

" Too much what?" Lia struggled to sit up fully, but she managed it, leaving Yasmin to lay sprawled across her legs. All around her, her friend were sitting up, moaning and rubbing their aching limbs, grateful that the wind had finally died down. Yasmin pushed herself up, but swayed and fell back against Lia, her face half pressed into the girl's chest. Lia went bright red and fumbled as she tried to heft Yasmin up to rest against her shoulder, sputtering and letting her hair fall into her face.

" You are cute." Yasmin said dazedly, and smiled softly when Lia's blush extended out to her ears.

" Sh-Shut up!" She tried to snapped, but she sounded too tired to put any real heat into it. Yasmin leaned her head fully on Lia's shoulder, and reached up to touch her face again. Lia slapped her hand away.

" Cut it out." She growled. " I don't get what your problem is, but quit touching."

" The East and the golden sun." Yasmin murmured and pressed her fingers to the drying stain on Lia's top. The girl squawked indignantly, but Yasmin reached up slowly and pulled the shirt down to reveal the smeared blood and pale skin it was spread over.

" Qu'est-ce que vous pensez que vous faites ?!" Lia shrieked as she tried to push the hand away from her body. But Yasmin held on tight and used her thumb to swipe away the blood just under her collarbone. Lia finally let out an infuriated snarl and shoved Yasmin away with all her (rather small, even smaller than usual) might.

She only managed to dislodge the older girl slightly, but Yasmin allowed herself to be pushed back, staring, fixated, on the strange marking that was revealed beneath the blood.

" What?" She whispered, shocked.

Lia wrapped her arms tightly around herself, glaring with pure venom at the Assailant.

" What is _wrong_ with you?!" She hissed. " You can't just...of all the...how da_re_ you!"

" Where did you get that marking?" Yasmin said urgently. Lia blinked in surprise before her face darkened again.

" I don't see how that's _any_ of your business!"

" Tell me where you got that mark!"

" You _grope_ me, and then expect me to just _tell_ you all about my_ body_?! I don't know how they do things where you're from, but that is _not_ how it works here!"

" Listen!" Yasmin snapped. " This is important! If this is what I think it is, then-"

" Then what?! You had a good excuse to violate my privacy like that!" Lia's eyes were sparking under her tears. " I don't like being touched! I hate it when people just touch me without telling me!"

" Please listen!"

" No! Shut up and go away!"

" Stop being so stubborn and listen to me!"

" I don't want to-"

" Dawn star!"

Lia went very still, something twisting and turning inside of her. Yasmin crawled forward, and for the first time, Lia noticed that the legs Yasmin had not been using since she'd wrapped her up before Jaden's last move (it was all a blur of noise and light and pain ripping through her, and hands digging with desperation, trying to get under her shirt, trying to get under her very skin, trying haul out that terrible thing in her that was clawing at her insides and sending wave after wave of agony searing over her senses) were slowly but surely turning a lighter, ruddier shade of brown.

" Wh-What did you call me?" Lia asked, a moment too late, and Yasmin smiled knowingly, even though her face was shining with sweat.

" I knew it." She murmured, and collapsed to the ground, her legs taking on the colour even more. Lia crawled forward, her legs and arms protesting as she reached out to touch the tips of her fingers to Yasmin forehead, where strands of thick, black hair has become struck. Lia pushed them aside. Yasmin opened her eyes and looked up at the smaller girl.

" What's...wrong with you?" Lia asked, biting her lower lip, and watching as the woman's legs turned gritty looking and seemed ready to crumble away into dust.

" I used too much." Yasmin said softly, and lowered her head to the ground. " Coming here, staying corporeal..." She looked up. " Finding out the truth...too much, far too much."

Lia blinked, feeling very confused, and looked down at the hand that rested by her knees. Picking it up (it felt strangely light and soft, even though it too had taken on the same gritty, ruddy colour of her legs), Lia ran her thumb over the knuckles and looked into Yasmin's face.

" You'll be fine." She said with a wobbly smile. " You're just tired, that's all. C'mon, go to sleep, you'll feel better."

Yasmin looked up at her, a strange light in her eyes as she looked into Lia's pale, dirty, and achingly innocent face.

" You're different." She whispered, more to herself than the girl above her. " You're..." She bit her lip, searching for an adjective. " ...Different."

" Different from who?" Lia blinked.

Yasmin shook her head, wincing at the effort it took.

" No, not now. Too soon." She closed her eyes again. " You'll see. Eventually, everyone will see." The hand Lia had in her grasped squeezed her back. " Everyone will...but you're different, so maybe..." she shook her head again, the back of her neck taking on the ruddy colour. " No, there's time for that later."

Lia pouted, utterly confused.

" What are you talking about." She huffed. " You make no sense at all."

Yasmin laughed.

" Maybe...not totally different."

" There you go again!" Beside them, Atticus sat up slowly, holding his head and cussing softly. Lia spared him a quick glance, before looking back at Yasmin, who was smiling. " You're so weird."

" And you're so young." The hand squeezed hers again, and Lia felt something cool and solid slip again her palm. " And not ready. No one's ready. But I think..." She raised her head and, with effort, looked at the duelists as they hauled themselves up. Even Jaden had turned back and was quietly talking to Kagemaru, helping his stand and slinging the once again ancient man's arm over his shoulders. Alexis was checking Zane and Syrus over for injuries and Bastian had wandered over to Chazz, talking in hushed tones and trying to pull him towards the trio that was Alexis, Zane and Syrus.

Yasmin smiled.

" I think you might be ready, when the time comes."

If Lia was going to ask about the statement (and the look on her face said that she probably was), any question she was about to form was cut off by Atticus' horrified wail.

The boy lunged forward and hauled Yasmin up roughly cradling her to his chest and, since her grip on Lia's hand was surprisingly strong, dragging the Academic with her. He rubbed her shoulder and whispered into her hair, staring blankly down at her legs as they turned so ruddy and gritty Lia couldn't even distinguish them from the ground anymore.

Lia froze as the implications of that thought hit home.

" Yasmin..." Atticus whispered brokenly, and Yasmin smiled sadly.

" I knew." She said softly. " I knew what would happen if I decided to come here. I knew what it would mean if I stayed corporeal while in the presence of the Beasts." The hand that Lia held squeezed hers one more time, and the solid thing was pressed completely into her palm. Lia looked down, hesitantly at where their hands were joined, and sucked in a sob at what she saw.

Through the fingers clasped over hers, Lia could make out her own pale and bruised skin, and the dips and curves of her own fingers. Looking swiftly at Yasmin, Lia saw the ruddy colour (the ground, it was the _ground beneath her!_) slowly start to creep up along the edges of Yasmin's clothing.

" You didn't have to!" Atticus pressed his face into Yasmin's hair. " You could've turned back into a card! Using up your energy like that, Yasmin!" He looked at her fiercely. " Why would you do that?!"

Yasmin merely smiled, but slipped her hand out of Lia's grasp to gently touch his face.

" I have no regrets."

" I didn't ask if you regretted it! I asked why you did it!" Atticus shook her lightly, his face twisted up in anguish.

Yasmin merely shook her head. Around her, small piece of light had started floating out of her and were slowly heading towards the sky. One of these orbs floated by Atticus' face. He saw it, shook his head violently, and tried hopelessly to grasp at it and push it back into the woman in his arms.

" Yasmin..." He pleaded, tears gather in the corners of his eyes. Behind him, his sister came darting up, her face transforming from joy at Jaden's victory to stunned sorrow at the sight of Yasmin slowly decomposing into light.

" I happy..." She whispered. " I was able to see you again."

" Yas, don't do this." Atticus leaned down to kiss her cheeks. " Don't...Don't leave me."

" You'll-" Yasmin choked as the lower half of her body began to vanish. Atticus whimpered and held her closer. " You'll be alright."

" Yas..."

With a pained smile, Yasmin reached up and weakly pulled Atticus down for a kiss. Behind him, Alexis pressed her fingers against her mouth to stifle the sound of her sobs, and Zane's grip on his little brother's should became almost painful. As he haul Kagemaru out of the pit, Jaden looked up with determined eyes, seeking Yasmin's face. As the Assailant pulled away, she met his gaze for a split second, and he bowed his head to her. Yasmin kept smiling.

She little more than a collection of glowing orbs, her face slowly fading into the light, glittering at the edges. It turned just a little and Lia, who still had her hand hanging open slightly, looked up as two or three orbs carefully nudged at her fingers. Yasmin smile, about the only thing that was left of her was what her gaze found.

" You will know." Her voice echoed as though it came from a great distance. The orbs pressed her hand shut.

" Don't worry."

And the lights flew outwards, even as Atticus tried to tighten his grip. He was left holding air, the orbs that had been Yasmin the Gravekeeper's Assailant vanishing into nothing.

Alexis rushed forward, wrapping her arms around her brother as he screamed, tears streaming down his face. Zane was at his side in an instant, hauling his into a sitting position and looking to Alexis for guidance on how to handle the situation. Syrus walked quietly to where Lia sat, staring into the scene without really seeing it, her fingers clenching over something cool and hard so much that it bit into her palm. She ignored the slight prick, and jumped a little when Syrus placed a hand on her back.

" Let's go help Jaden." He said, looking away as Atticus was pulled to his feet and led towards a tree where Chazz stood, watching with somber eyes. Bastian was already walking towards the edge of the pit where Jaden had rested Kagemaru and was fiddling with his videophone, trying to contact the Chancellor.

" Yeah." Lia murmured, and let Syrus help her to her feet. She walked, occasionally glancing back, with the smaller boy, Bastian coming to stride beside them.

" Hell of an afternoon, wouldn't you say?" He said sardonically. Syrus sighed and shook his head, picking up the pace as he neared Jaden.

Bastian glanced over at Lia, who was watching her feet take one step after the other, her face downcast and her bangs hanging over her eyes. As she walked, she clenched and unclenched her right hand, turning something over with her fingers, rubbing her thumb along what Bastian guessed was a smooth, pale stone.

" What's that?" He asked, but Lia quickly shook her head and closed her hand, pressing the fist against her bloody shirt.

" Are you alright?" He tried again. Lia stopped at the very edge of the pit, looking out onto what had been the duelling field. Through the dissipating smoke and thinning clouds of debris kicked up in that last, terrible explosion, both first years could make out the brightly coloured roofs of the classrooms of Duel Academy. In the bright sunlight, which had been clouded over and hidden by the raw energy of the Beasts, the pillars of the school and the white roof glistened and shone like a beacon. Bastian breathed in deep, feeling oddly calm and disengaged from the goings-on around him, as if he hadn't just witnessed a duel that would decided the fate of the world. He supposed he was probably just in shock, and when the events of the day finally caught up with him, he'd bubble down into a complete, blubbering mess of tears and fear, but for now, he was collected and calm, and that was all that mattered.

Beside him, he heard Lia take a deep breath too, and turn to find her staring, not at Duel Academy, but high above it, at the blue sky and sun overhead. With her little white face upturned and her hair completely unbound and swirling around her in the ocean coming off the ocean and her eyes shining but blank, she seemed nothing like the prickly, snapping, scared young girl he'd met that first night at the Ra Yellow welcome dinner. There was something different about her, in that moment, and it made Bastian smile.

" I don't know." Lia whispered, but it was lost to the wind.

" I don't know."

* * *

" Kick his ass!"

It'd taken about three machine washes, two days, and enough curses to make a sailor blush to finally get most of the evidence of Lia's 'condition' (they really had Chazz to thank for that one. He'd accidentally said it while trying valiantly to explain that while he'd know about it, Lia was Lia was happened to her was really none of his business. Of course, the bravery of his words was rather evaporated when Alexis, Bastian, and even sweet little Syrus had threatened to hang him out of a third story Obelisk Blue window by his ankles)out of her white shirt. Alexis and Lia had spent hours pouring over the shirt, actually going so far as to hand wash it, and by the end of it, were ready to complain to anyone willing to listen that they could barely feel their hands after all the alternations between boiling hot and freezing cold water, being unable to decide which one was better. When a rather sceptical Zane had pointed out that maybe it would be better to just throw the shirt out, both girls had rounded on him with fire in their eyes.

" And let it _win_?! _No fucking way_!"

At that point, Jaden had announced that he would never understand women, and wondered why he'd have to marry one someday. Which of course, had led to their discussion on homosexuality, which had led to sexuality, which had led to the horrifying realization that Jaden had in fact s_lept through_ Sex Ed in his elementary and junior high years. This, of course, had led to the even _more_ horrifying realization that s_omeone was going to have to explain it to him_.

They'd drawn straws, and the result had left Lia cursing _worse_ than a sailor and Syrus letting out a string of words that had Zane choking on his drink of water and whipping around, face pale.

" How do you even _know_ words like that?!" He'd demanded. Syrus had given him a look.

" I hang out with _Chazz_ and _Lia_." He'd said with the air of explaining something to a toddler. " I was bound to pick things up."

" Atta boy." Lia'd grinned and slapped him on the back playfully. Then Zane had rounded on her.

" You are a _terrible_ influence on my little brother!"

And when she'd realized that she not only had Zane Trusedale's attention, but that she also had his undivided, _absolutely horrified_ attention after months of him dismissing her as not being worth his time, Lia did what any girl in her situation would've done.

She'd twisted the knife in deeper.

" And just think," she'd said with the unholiest of grins, " you're gone after this, and I have _three more years_ to hang around with him, isn't that right, Sy?"

Zane'd twitched.

" You're evil."

And Lia had merely grinned her terrifying grin.

" I know."

And after that little episode (no one quite knew what had happened in that classroom, only that Jaden had come out pale and shaken, and Syrus and Lia had both stated that no one who'd been in that room was ever allowed to speak of what had happened ever again. And that Jaden reacted with utter fear every time the words 'miracle' and 'life' happened to pop up in a sentence together), things had died down pretty much, and everyone had found, to their shock, that they had exams coming. After the excitement and fear of the Shadow Riders and the Spirit Gate Keys and the duel with the Sacred Beasts (Kagemaru was apparently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital somewhere), the idea that something as normal as end of the year exams could still happen was a bit of a shock.

Not to mention the fact that the Duelists of the school had to contend with both the written exams for their Academic classes and the promotion duels for their duelling classes. As Lia had put it when Alexis had explained the system to her (while Lia helped her with French),

" _Good luck_." And then she'd laughed at their misfortune, but that just told everybody that she was back to normal and they didn't have to worry about her.

And then of course, the matter of Chumley had come up.

Both Alexis and Zane, who'd known Chumley the previous year, if only by sight, had been sure that his failure the previous year would make him nervous and upset and the group would have to run damage control in order to help him pass. Jaden, of course, had had no such doubts.

" _Have a little faith in him."_

" _It's not that, Jaden." Alexis shook her head. " We all know Chumley can do it. It's just that...well...maybe __**he**__ doesn't know that."_

_Jaden had pouted._

" _But he can. He's an awesome duelist. And he knows it."_

" _No, Jaden, he doesn't." Zane had interjected. Since the duel, since losing Syrus, Zane had frequented their lunch table and their usual hang outs so much that everyone had started to think of him as a member of the Slacker Club (which, really, was the wrong name for the group, because it consisted entirely of either above average students or a genius or an Academic and heck, even Jaden was pulling a B average by that point in time). And while Lia had had a serious problem with it (it had gone non-verbal and usually involved dirty looks on her part towards Zane), she'd mellowed out spectacularly after Jaden's defeat of Kagemaru, and seemed to have, if not gotten rid of her dislike for the older boy, come to the conclusion that she could agree to disagree with him at every turn and leave it at that (she unfortunately hadn't reached a similar pact with Chazz, and the two continued to squabble like children every time they were in the same room. Sometimes, Jaden thanked whatever god was listening that Chazz was a year older, and therefore had no classes with the Academic, especially not the ones Jaden shared with her)._

" _Chumley's still haunted by his failure from last year." Zane continued. " He still thinks about it, and he still feels that he's no good due to it. He gets nervous in the middle of his duels and he when he remembers failing, it throws off his game."_

" _Shows what you know." Brier had muttered from his seat. After they'd managed to contact Sheppard and arrange for Kagemaru to be air lifted off the island, Jaden had been shocked to learn that the resulting energy blast from the releasing of the Sacred Beasts had knocked out everyone on the island for a majority of the duel. Brier had been unconscious for about twenty minutes before he'd finally come to and managed to wake up Beauregard. While Jaden was unsure as to why, exactly, everyone who'd been with him had remained awake, Brier and Bastian both agreed that they were probably close enough to the site that they'd been caught in the eye of the storm, and had avoided the energy blast that had knocked everyone out. _

_When they'd explained it to everyone, Lia had nodded slowly, as if excepting the answer, but had kept her eyes trained on every one of Jaden's movements. If he'd noticed, he'd given no indication._

" _What do you mean?" Alexis asked. Brier scoffed._

" _Chumley got over that." He waved his hand dismissively. " He'll be fine, just wait and see."_

" _And what make you so sure of that?" Zane had cocked an eyebrow, and Brier, who'd usually backed down so easily to an Obelisk, met his gaze head on, small smirk on his face._

" _He's been hanging around with Jaden, hasn't he?"_

As it was, Brier's prediction had more than come true. When the older boy had faced off against Crowler in order to win his right to transfer to Industrial Illusions and take the internship, he'd exhibited a confidence and belief in himself that made the people who'd watched him fail the previous year wonder if the grinning, honestly happy boy and the loser who'd given up before he'd even started were really the same person.

And as Lia snapped the picture of Chumley playing the card he'd won the contest with, her face had been split into a huge grin, despite the fact that she'd still had very little idea of what was going on. (" I don't get it, did something good happen? All he did was make that card go up when Crowler made that ugly thing run at him and then there was this bright flash of light and-" " Lia, just...just take pictures.")

And then, at long last, there was Jaden's final duel.

It took place after everything; after every test he had to write for his Academic classes ("Focus, Yuki, you are _not_ failing on me! Not after all the shit I've had to put up with because you sat next to me the first day!" " How is _any_ of that _my_ fault?!" " Less talk more work!" " But-" " Travaillez!"), after every project he'd had to hand in for his Duelist classes (" Hey, what are they gonna do about you Duel Alchemy classes anyway?" " Huh?" " I mean, the teacher turned out to be a bad who was actually a good guy who helped you beat the really bad guy, while he was already dead." " Lexi?" " Yeah?" " We all get automatic passes." " ...Sweet!"), and after every last minute bit of studying he'd had to do (" Crap, crap, c_rap_!" " Jaden, what is it?" " I can't remember when the War of 1812 was!" " Jaden." " What?! Can't you see I'm studying, Sy?! I'm never gonna remember all these dat-_Oh_." " Yeah." " ...I'm a bit of a moron, aren't I?" " Just a bit, Jay."), Jaden was finally allowed to have his promotion duel.

The fact that it was against Zane just made it all the better.

" So, who's your money on?" Alexis asked as she slid into the seat next to Lia. The Academic pumped her fist into the air one more time, before she sank back into the blue seat, smiling softly. The yellow jacket that marked her dorm was tied firmly around her waist, making creases in the material of her bright green, Duel Academy t-shirt. As she made herself comfortable, Lia turn to Alexis, grinning brightly, and fingered her camera.

" How'd it go?"

" Bien." Alexis smiled back. " I think I might've aced it."

" You should've after all the time we spent studying." Lia nudged her friend playfully. " I expect a full report when you get the grades this summer."

" You too." Alexis looped an arm around her. Lia stiffened for a second, and then leaned back against the older girl's shoulder. She reached up and encircled the hand hanging over her right shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

" You've got my e-mail, right?"

" Yup." Alexis glanced over at Lia, who returned the gaze. The younger girl reached down and pulled the old black camera over her head, and held it at an angle so it faced the two girls.

" Smile." She said, and pushed the button.

Alexis grinned even as the flash left her seeing spots, and felt, rather than saw, Lia do the same. There was a warm, comfortable air between them. Lia leaned fully on Alexis, her head resting on the junction of the blonde's shoulder and neck, while Alexis let her head all on top of Lia's, her straight, golden locks mixing in with Lia's erratic, brown curls. The light overhead caught the red strands in Lia's hair, and Alexis gave the girl a friendly squeeze as she pulled back a little, giving Lia room to breathe.

" You gonna be okay?" She tilted her head towards the duelling arena, where Jaden and Zane were gearing up to go.

Lia shrugged a set of shoulders that had tensed under Alexis' arm.

" We'll see." She flushed slightly, and looked away. " Anyway, it's not like I have to deal with it alone, right? You're here."

Alexis smiled beautifully at her.

" I'll take care of you." Lia looked at her out of bright eyes and a cutely blushing face. Alexis looked over at the competitors. " You never answered my question."

" Hmm?" Lia fiddled with the camera.

" Who's your money on?"

Lia smirk was just a trifle haughty.

" Who do you think?"

" Wanna make a bet?"

" Huh?"

" I say it'll end in a tie."

" What makes you say that?"

" Got a hunch. So, what do you think?"

In the stadium below, a loud shout indicated the start of the duel. A flash of light appeared, and both girls' faces were lit abruptly, both frozen with a knowing smile on her face.

" Cherie," Lia raised her camera, " you've got yourself a deal."

* * *

And.

It is.

TECHNICALLY.

Over!

Hey everybody! This is basically the end, although there is an epilogue coming probably later tonight (I need to give my aching hands a rest), and then I will be on a brief hiatus from this series to write Year Two. See you all later tonight, in which I will be having a very long, very explanatory A.N., I promise.

MoS


	55. The Goodbye

Warnings: I am about to become a complete and utter SAP. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Yugioh GX_

_

* * *

_

**Year One: The Academic**

* * *

Lia grumbled as she shoved her folded up T-shirts into the suitcase, hissing angrily when they didn't fit.

" What the hell, everything fit when I packed to come here!" She pressed harder against the resisting T-shirts, trying to force them into the already stuffed suitcase. From her place on Lia's bed, Alexis laughed.

" Well, maybe you bought more clothes here than you thought."

" I didn't buy anything but a few t-shirts and maybe a sweater." Lia blinked, looked skyward as she mentally went over a list of her clothing purchases. " And one pair of jeans. That's it. How in the hell are they taking up that much space?!"

" Must be the clothes Mindy and Jasmine sunk into your laundry bag." Alexis shrugged.

On the floor beside her suitcase, Lia went very still.

" What?"

" Oh yeah. Mindy and Jasmine have been sneaking clothes into your laundry bags and stuff for about..." Alexis blinked, and reached up with her hand, counting on her fingers. " ...two months and three days."

Lia felt her left eye twitch violently and she strived heroically not to scream in frustration.

" Why?"

" Well, they never really gave you anything for Christmas, and they don't know when your birthday is..." Alexis trailed off. " Come to think of it, when _is_ your birthday?"

" August 23rd. Lia muttered, rolling a ball of cloth that was one of her T-shirts around in her hands. " Why?"

" Well, I'll need to send the package early if I want it to reach you in time."

Feeling her face burn, Lia ducked her head, hiding her blush by trying to shove the mangled ball of fabric that was her T-shirt into her open suitcase with increasingly worse results.

" You don't have to get me anything."

" I want to. So what do you want?"

" Nothing. You don't have to."

" Lia." Alexis grinned at her, watching the girl's ears go progressively redder the more she struggled with her packing. " I'm going to get you something whether you want it or not. Might as well be something you asked for."

Lia stopped fidgeting with the clothes for a moment, her face downcast. Alexis leaned forward on the bed, trying to get a peak at the face hidden under the brown bangs. From what little she could see, Lia's face was still quite red, and she was chewing on her lower lip frantically.

Sighing, and knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with the girl when she was like this, Alexis flopped down on the bed, lying eagle spread and staring at the ceiling.

" Thanks."

Lia's voice was small, and unsure, and Alexis smiled brightly to herself.

" For what? Offering to get you a birthday present?"

" No. I mean, yeah, but..." Lia bit her lip hard. " For...I guess, for...putting up with me."

" I've put up with worse."

" I'm not easy to get along with."

" If you were, this year wouldn't have been half as fun."

Lia smiled, under her hair.

" You're a glutton for punishment, you know that?"

" I grew up with Atticus as my brother. I've gotten used to enduring things." Alexis watched as Lia managed to find a corner to shove the T-shirt in. It wasn't a perfect fit, but it would do until she got home.

" Hmm...is that so?"

" Yep."

" Glad I could be of service."

Alexis just laughed softly and leaned back on the bed, turning her head to the side to watch as Lia forcibly pushed more clothes into her suitcase. There was the same, comfortable air that permeated from every corner of the room and drifted in from the open window, the curtains swaying back and forth with each breeze that rolled in off the ocean. Outside, Alexis could hear the bustling sounds of hundreds of students making last minute preparations for their respective journeys home, but inside the room of one Lia Shanner, a sense of calm dominated the air.

" I'll miss you, you know." The rustling of clothes stopped for a second before it started up again. " I mean, I'm gonna miss everyone. I feel like I've gotten really close to people this year. More so than last year, I mean."

" Oh?"

" Yeah, I feel like...like...well, it's hard to describe, but I think it has something to do with the experience we've all had together."

" 'There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other.'"

" I know that, where's that from?"

" _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_. Right after they knock out the troll in the bathroom."

" Right. I thought it was that one."

" It's true, you know."

At an earlier point that year, Alexis might've sat up and looked over at Lia, puzzled, and might've tried to see what other girl's expression was, because Lia would've probably hidden it. As it was, Alexis just closed her eyes and sank deeper into the covers of the bed, smiling softly. She didn't have to look up to know that Lia was doing the same.

* * *

The helicopter rides over to the mainland were fun.

They were supposed to be grouped alphabetically, but in the mass confusion to get onto the contraptions, people just tended to grab onto their friends and pull them along with them until they were sitting together. Roll call was taken while on board, and so long as everyone got on a helicopter and got home, the process was considered a success.

As it turned out, Jaden had started running towards one copter with Lia in tow, who had had her arm linked with Alexis, who had had one hand on her brother's shoulder, who had been in the process of trying (the key word there was most definitely _trying_) to put Zane in a headlock, who had Syrus at his elbow, tugging at it and telling him to quit playing with Atticus, he could talk to him over msn over the break, they had to get to a helicopter _now_, while Bastian was trying to calm him down, while Chazz had just had the unfortunate luck to be standing next to the British boy when the chain reaction had started, and had been the closest thing for Bastian to grab onto as he was being pulled along.

When they'd all come tumbling onto the copter, Brier had lowered his book, cocked an eyebrow, and then shook his head, proceeding to read again.

" You guys are dumbasses." He said boredly.

" Shut it, munchkin." Chazz growled as he pushed himself up.

" I thought I was munchkin." Syrus said, crawling out from under Bastian and Zane. Beside him, his brother was pulled to his feet by Alexis, who proceeded to dust herself off and turn back to yelling at her brother for messing with Zane on their last day.

Chazz rubbed his temples.

" You're midget."

" Then what do you call Jaden?"

" He's slacker."

" Then what do you call Alexis."

" Her name."

" What about Atticus?"

" His name."

" Why do you call them by their names and not us?"

" Because I actually _like_ them."

" Then what do you call Zane?"

" Whatever he wants."

" Why?"

" Syrus, you're getting on my nerves."

" I try my best."

" I know you do-What?!"

And Syrus skipped happily off to find a seat.

By the time they were up in the air, Jaden had talked Lia into taking pictures and the group was taking turns pressing close together as Lia clicked the shutter closed.

" Why did I agree to do this?"

" Because you _love_ us."

" I think I've just lost my mind."

" That too."

" Shut up, Asshole."

" Make me bitch."

" ..."

" Ow! What the fuck did you just throw at me?!"

" Looks like...hey, are those my cards?! Lia!"

" I grabbed the closest things I could find, sorry!"

" Chazz, give 'em back!"

" You want 'em? Come and get 'em Slacker!"

" C'mon Chazz, this isn't funny!"

" Oh yes, it is."

" Chazz, give Jaden back his cards."

" Or else what?"

" Or else I'll come over there and make you."

" Fine, here, geez."

" Thanks Zane."

" Whatever."

" I knew you had a heart of gold, Zaney."

" Atticus, we've had this talk before. Call em that again, and you're going out the window."

" Aw, Zaney, don't you love me anymore?"

" ...Lex, hold him down."

" Will do."

" Wha?! Hey Sissy, c'mon! That's not fair! You're supposed to be on _my_ side! We're _family_!"

" Tell it to the judge."

" Should we do something?"

" No, let them be."

" You're so cold hearted, Lia dear."

" Don't call me dear."

" Fine, fine. Are you going to take the picture or not?"

" Get in there then."

" Hah, I stand by what I said. You French women are so demanding."

" And you British guys never do as you're told. Now move it."

" Your wish is my command."

" Shut up."

" Hey, Kitten, why are you blushing?"

" God Syrus, not you too! Quit calling em that!"

Lia gave Syrus a little shove, and he went tumbling back over the seat. He fell against Chazz, who was leaning over, watching Zane and Alexis trying to subdue Atticus with interest. Atticus himself was struggling against his sister's hold, who had her arms firmly around his waist and was trying to force him back into his seat, while Zane held him down by his shoulders. The brunet was kicking his legs at the older boy, but Zane simply leaned out of the way and the kick missed. Across the row, Jaden was leaning over the arm rest, grinning a frightening Cheshire grin and cheering as Alexis managed to shove her brother back into his seat and proceed to sit on him. Bastian walked over and leaned on the seat behind Jaden, and made a beckoning motion towards Lia. Brier read on, ducking his head lower into his book as he tried to ignore the chaos around him.

Sighing, Lia turned to a Ra sitting to the right of her, and held up her camera.

" You mind?" Her grin was just a little pained. The Ra boy blinked, looked over at the scene (Atticus' arms flailing back and forth as Alexis leaned an elbow of the arm rest to carrying on a conversation with Zane, who was reaching over to ruffle Syrus' hair as the boy hung over the back of his seat next to Chazz, laughing and motioning for Jaden to come over. The Slifer was half out of his seat, bouncing happily as Chazz shouted at his to calm down, while Bastian shook his head and sighed, looking over at Brier, who had given up just trying to tune the commotion out on his own and was putting the headphones of his iPod into his ears), and then looked back at the camera.

" Are you sure you wanna get in the middle of that?" He asked, gingerly taking the camera. Lia got up gracefully, her smile hidden as her hair fell across her face.

" I'm sure." She said softly.

Jaden looked up as she walked next to him, tapping his shoulder.

" Well?" She pointed a thumb back at the Ra with the camera. " Are we doing this or not?"

" Hey guys!" Jaden jumped up, waving his hand back and forth frantically. Alexis and Zane looked up from their conversation, Atticus still cursing loudly from underneath his sister. Chazz sighed, hauling Syrus back as the boy threatened to go tumbling over the seat. Bastian casually hooked arms with Lia, who went red and tried to pull away, but was shoved closer as Brier smirked, one hand extended and the other still holding his book.

Jaden's smile stretched from ear to ear.

" Group photo!"

* * *

As it was, Lia ended up feeling ridiculously melancholic as they departed from the helicopters at the airport. All around her, students bustled about, gathering luggage and calling goodbyes. A heaviness settle in on her chest, and Lia touched at it curiously, half wondering why she felt so sad. Saying goodbye was something she was accustom to, what with her mother dropping in and leaving whenever she saw fit. It didn't seem like she would feel so bad.

' C'est seulement deux mois.' Lia thought, looking up to see the clear blue sky. High above her, the puffy white clouds drifted silently apart, blown by a passing breeze. Lia watched the clouds part to reveal the blazing sun, and brought one arm up to shield her eyes. The wind blew her hair around her shoulders, and the hand she used to hold her carry-on bag tightened just the slightest.

' Deux mois...' She thought, and the heaviness increased.

" You scared to go home?"

Lia jumped, half turning to see Atticus standing next to her, staring up at the sky as well.

" Huh?"

He turned to her smiling, but there was something sad, something very broken and lost in that smile. Lia felt something splinter inside of her in return, something hidden way down deep between the thorns Jaden had fought so hard to get past, and reach out with an agonized cry for Atticus.

" Are you scared?" The older boy repeated, smiling at her. Lia flushed, for no reason other than the fact that it hit her, there, under the bright sun and blue sky, that Atticus was a very handsome boy, and they way he looked at her made her feel warm.

" O-Of what?" She turned away and began fiddling with her bag. Beside her, Atticus smiled.

" When people change, sometimes it's hard to go back to a place that only knows the old you." He shrugged.

" Are you scared?" Lia asked without looking at him."

" I dunno. Have I changed?"

" How should I know? I mean, it's not like I knew you before you..." Lia searched for the appropriate word. " ...left, so don't go asking me stuff like that."

Atticus blinked, surprised at her outburst. He opened his mouth to say something, but Lia whipped around to face him, her eyes glittering with a strange light.

" And I mean, it's not like you need to be scared. Even if you _have_ changed, being scared is stupid." She put her hands on her hips. " You're you, and even if you change, you're still you, right?"

Atticus looked at her for a long moment, his face blank. Lia grew steadily redder under his scrutiny, but refused to look away, biting her lower lip as their staring contest continued. Abruptly, Atticus looked away with a sigh, smiling more to himself than to the girl in front of him.

"You're such a kid."

" What does that mean?!" Lia snapped, but was taken aback as he reached out one hand and ruffled her hair affectionately.

" At least you're a good kid." He gave her head a little shake, and pulled her close, leaning over so that his mouth was by her ear. He smiled as he watched the tip go red as his breath made the little strands of hair curling around her earlobe flutter.

" Keep it close to you."

And when he pulled away, Lia's left hand had compulsively clenched around her jeans pocket, her face pale and her eyes wide. She turned to look at him, her mouth open. Quickly, she lowered her gaze (now his eyes were too intense, looking too deep inside of her, looking for an answer even she didn't know, but he knew she had. It made her shiver, and it made her want to slink away and hide herself in a dark corner where neither he nor anyone else would ever be able to find her) and nodded her head, the small, smooth stone in her pocket, tapered down to a vicious point at one end feeling hot through the rough denim. Atticus smiled, but there was something dark in it, and Lia wondered why it didn't disturb her more.

" Lia!" The girl started as Alexis wrapped her in a sideways hug, squeezing the Academic's shoulder to her chest. " I'm gonna miss you!"

" Gah! Ea-_sy_!" Lia flailed her arms. " Warn me before you jump me like that."

Alexis laughed, and gave her a little squeeze before letting go.

" Sorry. I just wanted to say goodbye before we all go in and split up." She smiled at her brother. "Atty and I won't see you after you head off with the Europe group."

" Oh?" Lia hefted her carry-on back up on her shoulder.

" Naw, we'll be stuck with Zane Syrus for most of the trip." She stuck her tongue out as the brothers joined them. Behind Zane, Jaden was enthusiastically trying to hug Chazz, who was making an angry fist and shouting threats that Lia was fairly sure were anatomically impossible. Next to Jaden, Bastian was conversing with Brier, who kept throwing looks over at the two Slifers, one of his eyebrows raised.

" Yeah!" Syrus bounced up. " All the way to North America across the Pacific!"

" You guys from the same state or something?" Brier asked as he walked up. Jaden was pouting and rubbing his sore cheek, while Chazz continued to make a fist at him. Bastian walked to stand beside Lia, rolling his eyes at the pair.

Alexis shook her head.

" No, we leave Zane and Syrus in Cali."

" And then get on a pond-hopper to Edmonton." Atticus finished, grabbing a hold of his large suitcase.

" A whole summer in California with Aunt Jess." Syrus breathed. " I've been looking forward to this all year."

" Yeah, and no summer homework!" Jaden folded his hands behind his head. " I gotta say, you Westerners sure know how to do vacations."

" Why would we have homework over summer break?' Alexis asked as the group started moving towards the airport, luggage in tow.

Jaden shook his head.

" Never mind, I was on a completely different system until this year."

" What system?" They walked in the entrance.

" We start school in April back home."

" Why?"

" Don't know, we just do."

" It's weird for me too." Lia huffed as she pulled at her suitcase. The wheels bumped over the doorframe. " I'm used to getting out in mid-July, but hey," she shrugged. " I'll be home for La Fête Nationale."

" The wha?" Jaden asked absentmindedly as he looked around. " Now where is the Eastern group?"

" Over by the terminal. You'd better hurry." Alexis pointed. Jaden glanced over at the group of students milling around, waiting for their boarding passes, and shook his head.

" I can spare a few minutes."

" Jay!" Syrus wailed suddenly, throwing himself at the taller boy. He caught Jaden around the waist, and both Slifers went tumbling down to the ground, Jaden taking most of the impact while Syrus encircle his middle with a pair of very clingy arms. Despite the fact that both her friends were lying on the ground like morons, Jaden moaning in pain and Syrus burying his face in the other boy's chest, Lia smiled fondly at the sight.

" Jay, I'm gonna miss you _so much_!" Syrus hugged him tighter. " I'm gonna think about you every day and I'll e-mail you all the time and you had better e-mail me back, you got that?!" Syrus' fierce tone was completely at odds with the tears glistening behind his glasses. Jaden gave him a smile and reached up to ruffle his hair.

" You'll be just fine, Sy."

" But who will help me feel better and tell me I can do it when I think I can't?!" Syrus squeezed Jaden\s middle tighter, and the boy sucked in a pained breath.

" W-Well," he struggled for air around Syrus' death grip, " that's what Zane's for, right?"

" Zane?" Syrus pulled back. Above him, his brother reached gently down and unwound Syrus' arms.

" Don't worry, I'll take good care of him." Zane assured as he pulled Syrus to stand beside him. Jaden got shakily back to his feet, dusting himself off. Then he winced, and touched his ribs lightly.

" Nice grip there, Sy." Then he looked right into Zane's eyes. " You had better."

There was a challenge in those eyes, Lia saw. It reminded her of the long ago night when Syrus had been crying and Lia had held his shivering, wet form to her, and Jaden had walked in. His face, when he'd seen Syrus, shaking and dripping and trembling all over, had darkened with something Lia had never seen before. And when he'd turned around and marched out of the dorm, his hands clenched into fists and his shoulders tense, Lia had wondered where her goofy, bouncing friend had gone. (And had wondered, too, where her own ice and thorns and determination to shut out the world that had given her all the hurt she had carried with her up until that point – what a whiny brat she sounded like now – had gone. She wondered how she had ended up with Syrus cowering in her arms like he expected her to know how to make it all okay again, and had wondered what had been in her mind when she'd glared at Zane from her point below him, the first stars twinkling above her and her blood hot with anger. She'd wondered, over and over again as the year passed by in rapid blurs of fear and pain and breath-taking elation, when it had all changed, only to come to the end of it and realize it didn't matter. The only thing that matter was that it _had_ changed, and she had changed with it, and that _meant _something, if only to her). She'd found him again, of course, as he'd challenged Zane to a duel to prove Syrus' worth, and that same look was in his eyes now. But under it, Lia thought she could maybe make out a shade of the cruel anger that had been in his eyes when he'd first realized what Zane had done to Syrus.

Zane merely smirked in response.

" Understood." He held out his hand. Jaden looked at it for a second, almost sceptical, and then, with a delighted grin, he took it, shaking it heartily.

This seemed to set everyone off, and in the blink of an eye, they were all wrapping their arms around each person in turn, sniffing back tears and promising to write. Lia felt herself being pulled into countless embraces, her face flushing red and her hand coming up to awkwardly pat the arm that was thrown around her at the time. As they all pulled back, Bastian graciously hooked his arm through hers and gave a slight tug.

" Well, we must be off." He made a small bow. " Plane to catch and all that."

He started walking away, Lia trailing slightly behind him.

" I look forward to September." He called over his shoulder. Jaden raised his hand and waved back while Brier rolled his eyes and gave them a mock salute. Alexis swiped tears from her eyes and leaned into the half embrace Atticus had put her in. Syrus called after them, but it was lost to the sounds of the airport around them. Chazz huffed, and looked away, affecting not to care.

Lia sighed, alternating between tightening and loosening her grip on Bastian's arm. Her chest still felt heavy and there was a stinging sensation in the corners of her eyes that she just couldn't seem to ignore. The warmth of all their embraces had left her feeling oddly light and soft, and even though she was fighting off tears, there was a soft smile on her face. Her carry-on slipped down off her shoulder and hung in the crook of her elbow, but she ignored it. The hand on the handle of her rolling suitcase clenched, and Lia sucked her lower lip into her mouth, running her teeth over it in anxiety.

The goodbye felt wrong, somehow, even though everyone had held her close and wished her well. There had been something missing. Lia was used to the feeling, but this time, something inside, the something she was usually so good at repressing and pushing away, threw its head back and screamed loudly. The thorns parted a bit, and the little girl she'd kept locked behind them for longer than she could remember looked up and smiled.

Abruptly, Lia pulled away from Bastian, her carry-on sliding to the floor with a dull thunk. Without looking at Bastian's surprised face, Lia tore back to the gathered group, her hair falling over her eyes and a faint blush on her cheeks.

As she reached them, Alexis turned around to look at her, her eyes wide.

" Lia, what-?" She started, but Lia barrelled into her, almost knocking them both off their feet. She curled her fingers into Alexis' collar, hauled the girl down, and firmly kissed her on one cheek. Then she shifted her head and kissed the other cheek. Barely pausing in motion, Lia reached up, twirled around Alexis, and grabbed Atticus, who had been standing next to his sister when Lia had come running back. She jumped up, used his chest to balance herself, and pressed a kiss to each of his cheeks as well. She pushed off of him, not meeting his stunned eyes, and dropped down to her knees in front of Syrus, giving him the same treatment. She proceeded to do the same to Jaden and Brier, the latter of whom protested loudly and the former of whom she clung to tightly. Turning to Zane after giving Jaden once last squeeze, she averted her eyes, reached up slowly, and looked at him, then looked back at her feet. The older boy opened his mouth to say something, but Lia beat his to the punch, darting up as quick as a cat and kissing his cheek, and then pulling away as quickly as she could and not looking at him as she marched over to Chazz. Zane brushed a hand along the skin her lips had touched, wondering if the girl realized she'd just kissed him in the same place she'd slapped him.

Chazz backtracked quickly as Lia stalked towards him, a look of panic on his face.

" Oh fuck no!" He swore, throwing out his hands to ward her off. " No, no, nononono!" His back hit the wall. "No! No fucking way in fucking hell!" He stumbled backwards, trying to get away from her. " Don't you fucking dare you goddamn bit-"

Lia flicked him on the nose.

" Ow! What the hell?!" Chazz slapped his hands over his reddening nose and glared at Lia through watering eyes.

She smiled at him.

" Try not to let your brothers rag on you too much." She said, turning away. Chazz blinked, confused. " That's _my_ job, after all."

She walked away from him, grinning to herself and linking her hands behind her back. Chazz blinked again, lowered his hands, and watched her go, a strange look that was half confusion and half dawning realization creeping up onto his face.

As she passed them, Lia averted her eyes, staring at her feet as she shuffled past, her face almost glowing. Alexis made as if to grab her shoulder, but both Jaden and Atticus placed a hand on each of her shoulders, shaking their heads when she shot them a puzzled look. Lia walked past the group, her head still down and her fingers clenching behind her back. Abruptly, when she was in front of them all, she turned on her heel and faced them.

On her face was the brightest, most beautiful smile anyone had ever seen her give. Somewhere in his mind, Jaden smiled back as he realized his prediction had been one hundred percent right.

"Chez nous, c'est comment nous disons 'au revoir'." She tilted her head a little to the side and giggled at their stunned faces. " This isn't goodbye, right? It's just 'jusqu'à la fois suivante'." She turned to walk away, and then stopped. " Oh, right!"

Darting back, Lia pulled several coins out of her pocket and put them into Alexis' hand.

" I have no idea what the exchange rate is, but this should cover it." She pressed Alexis' fingers closed.

" See you all in September." She ran back to Bastian, leaving a stunned group behind her.

Hey!" She turned, about to pick up her carry-on, as Chazz came running to the front of the group, his face tinged pink.

Lia turned fully to face him, her expression patient.

" You...you..." Chazz seemed to struggle with the words. " You..."

" Hurry up. I've got a plane to catch." Lia smirked at him. " So don't start spouting poetry at me now, Princeton."

Chazz's face flushed a mixture of red and purple.

" Try not to look in too many mirrors this summer!" He shouted angrily. " Your face will break them!"

Lia scowled, and picked up her bag.

" Get bent, Princeton."

" Go to hell, bitch!"

" Well, seeing as how I have to put up with you again next year, I can safely say I'm already there!"

" You think this year was bad? I am gonna make your life a living nightmare next year!"

" You do that just by existing. Just know that somewhere, you are breathing the same air as me keeps me up at night!"

" Yeah, 'cause it's not like there'll ever be a guy willing to keep you up at night!"

" Go fuck yourself!"

" No, _you_ go fuck _your_self!"

" Later, Princeton."

" Whatever, Shanner."

And with their backs turned to each other, neither one saw the smile on the other's face.

As Lia disappeared with Bastian into the crowd of the Europe group, Atticus tapped his sister on the arm, peering over her shoulder.

" What'd she give you, Lexi?"

Alexis jumped, surprised out of her stupor, and looked down at her closed fist. Slowly, she opened it.

There, in the palm of her hand, were five Euros, gleaming in the artificial lights overhead.

A warmth rushed through Alexis and she smiled down fondly at the coins, closing her fingers around them again. Crouching down, she grabbed her suitcase and headed for the North America group, Atticus stumbling after her and Syrus, Zane and Brier in her wake. Jaden turned, called one last goodbye in what she assumed was Japanese, and ran towards the Eastern group.

" Lexi, what was that?" Atticus asked as he caught up with her, pointing at her fist.

" A bet's a bet." Was all his sister said as she pulled ahead of him, and got into line to receive her boarding pass.

And high above them, through the glass ceiling of the airport, the sunlight streamed down.

* * *

Hello everybody!

Well, here you have it! The end! The grand finale! The final piece! ...Of this Year, anyway.

But still, here we have it, the nice little wrap up for everything that's happened. I wanted to write something that would leave this Year with a good feel to it. I wanted this story to end on a really good note, given the insane amount of SHIT that will be happening later on to all these characters (hint hint). I wanted there to be one of those 'feel good' moments in this story, and this was what I came up with. Syrus and Zane have a healthy, steadily growing relationship. Alexis has her brother back, and has friends she can count on. Syrus is boistrous and happy. Bastian is smug, but lovable and has no qualms with anything. Jaden can walk away with a sense of accomplishment. Atticus might be hurting, but he can still manage to walk home with his sister with his head held high, and let her help him put the pieces back together. Even Brier, who is only mentioned a little, is shown to be confident and settling into hsi own niche. Everyone is happy. Everyone is safe. There has been pain and hardship, but this is the greenlight for you to say, " ...and they all lived happily ever after." ...At least, until Year Two. Then I fuck everybody over. ...Again. ...Yeah, I'm a bitch.

But this epilogue has another purpose. It's to show the changes, and the end results of those changes, that have been taking place all year long. It's to show you how much the characters have grown since the first time you were introduced to them. Think way back to chapter two, when you were first introduced to Lia and my version of Jaden. Lia was cold, angry, and ready to lash out at anybody, but collected to the point of being almost inhuman. Jaden was goofy, sweet, and silly, but he was also upset with the idea of taking responsibilty for his actions, desperate to get out of doing work in any way he could, and more than a little oblivious to the world. They were both incredibly childish and stupid at that point, and that was on purpose. For any story to suceed, the characters must grow. They must change and mature and realize the truth about things step by step. But in order for them to grow, they must start at a place that leaves room for that growth. Each of the major characters in this story, be they sweet or cruel or timid or scared, has had to grow because the person they were when they were first introduced would not have been able to save the world in the end.

Jaden was a goofy optimist without a care in the world. Over the course of the story, I have forced him to take a step back and look at the consequences of his actions, starting with disregarding others when his own feelings come to a boil. In the second chapter, he callously interrupts Lia as she tries to make a point about something that clearly has some meaning to her. Jaden, in this moment, doesn't care that Lia, or anyone else in the room, is speaking. He doesn't even acknowledge her. All he sees are his own feelings, which are panic and desperation as he realizes he's signed up for the wrong class. By dismissing Lia the way he did, and even mocking her earlier during her speech, Jaden shows himself to be in the mind set of a child who has yet to acquire social graces, or even consider putting someone else's needs before their own. Children, while innocent, as Jaden is, are notoriously selfish. If anyone is familiar with the theory of the Id, the Ego, and the Superego, it can be applied to Jaden in this instance. Of course, I'm not saying Lia didn't overreact, because she really did, but that shows her childishness in wanting all eyes to be focused on her, and craving the attention of the whole room. Which is a contradiction for her, seeing as how she prefers to keep quiet and out of the spotlight. But hey, she's a teenaged girl, she'd allowed to not make sense.

By chapter 3, Jaden is being forced to pay for his actions, and this is something that will follow him not only through the rest of this Year, but through others as well. One of the key thigns that bothered me about Jaden was the fact that he adhered to the Slifer stereotype in one way: He was, in fact, a major Slacker. He's shown sleeping in almost every class and while it's never explictly stated, I assume he had a problem with handing in homework. In this story, Jaden is forced to take responsibilty for himself and his grades, resulting in him becoming an actually decent student, when motivated. Eventually, Lia's 'revenge' becomes a commonplace occurence, and Jaden, who has only ever 'just gotten by' in school, adjusts to doing his homework and putting effort into school. Once this part of his character is established, it makes it all the more easy to place more responsibilty on his shoulders. Jaden is the hero of GX. He is the one who duels against the bad guys, he is the one who saves the world, make no mistake. But because he is that person, he is also the one who will take the blame if something goes wrong, or someone gets hurt. In this story, it was Syrus who was lost, and Jaden blamed himself. In Season 3 (I think) of the actual show, Jaden loses himself in guilt and allows the Supreme King to take over when he witnesses the deaths of four of his friends (Alexis, Atticus, Hassleberry, and Chazz) in order to use a card. The pain of losing them and the guilt of having been the cause of their demises drives him over the edge, and Haou, once in control, ascends to the throne and orders a genocide on all humans still livign in Dark World. no people, they were not 'sent to the stars'. They were killed. Stone. Dead.

In thise story, Jaden has already had a taste of losing someone precious, and instead of losing his mind and becoming a vicious, deranged monarch, he hatched a desperate, dangerous plan that banked solely on his own strength of will and soul to get back what was stolen. The Jaden in chapter 2, while feeling awful, would probably not have been able to do what the Jaden in chapter 45 and 46 did. In those two chaptes, Jaden dropped all pretense of childishness and fear of responsibility. He did what he had never, not even in show, done before. He put his soul on the line in a gambit that he had next to no chance in winning. In the show, even when it's a life/death struggle, Jaden shows that he is having fun and barely taking anything seriously. He enjoys the game, and that helps him win, and that's good, but even against Kagemaru, Jaden didn't really get serious about the duel and start to realize what was on the line until about mid-way through, by my recollection (that could be off, and it's up for interpretation). In the chapter where he faces off against the Sacred Beasts, Jaden isn't dueling. He isn't in an arena where he was the advantage. He literally gone, virtually unarmed, into the belly of the beast. What saves him is not his child-like enthusiasm or his somewhat naive optimism, but a dangerous, brutal power that Jaden in show only exhibits in Dark World, after he becomes Haou. By speeding up the arrival of Haou, I have, in some ways, sped up Jaden's journey into adulthood. Already, he's realized that he can't just go through life expecting everyone to share his happy view that the world is a great place, and everyone should get along. He's come to see that there are people in the world who want to hurt others, and if he loves his friends, he may be forced to stop those people by any means necessary in order to protect the people he holds dear.

Jaden still has a long way to go, but he's changed, quite possibly the most.

The other two that garner an explanation are, of course, Lia, and also Syrus.

Lia, of course, is the character the reader is supposed to watch change. She has her purposes in the plot, and she helps the other characters realize things, but while GX is the story of Jaden Yuki and how he saves the world (and how he finally grows up and helps others around him grow up), Lia's is the story of a young girl thrown into the harsh, strange world of high school, and forced to deal with everything it can throw at her, bit by bit discovering who she really is and finally coming into her own at the end. It's a standard cming-of-age story, only with a card game twist. It's a little cliche, but that's the beauty of it. The reader, who, like the author, may not have the experience or the patience to understand the card game can identify with Lia, because she serves as the comic outsider, looking at the duels and not comprehending how or why they happen the way they do. But she's also the alienated one, which is a role everyone has to play at some point in their lives. By being the Academic in a group of Duelists, Lia is an outcast when they start talking about cards and duels and all the like. She can't identify with it, and it hurts her. At the beginning of the story, Lia wanted no part in dueling, as evidenced by her furious retort ' I don't duel!' Jaden is taken aback by her anger, but if you read between the lines of what she is saying in the early stages of her friendship with the rest of the group, this statement basically sums it up. She doesn't duel. Her forte is the classroom. Stick her in a duel arena and she's completely lost. Lia hates being out of control. It makes her feel weak and vulnerable, and allowing people to see her in such a state makes her nervous, because she's scared of people taking advantage of her. As I've pointed out, Lia has trust issues. Lia revisits this fear in chapter 13, as she watches Jaden duel Zane for Syrus' sake, and has no idea what's going on. She feels helpless, not only because she can't do anything to make Zane pay while Jaden can, but also because the ONE thing Jaden can do to make Zane pay is going completely over her head, and she finds that she can't protect Syrus. In doing this, I have isolated Lia even more. She is a year younger than all her classmates, she doesn't understant her friends' favourite sport, and she's got up a wall that China would be jealous of. She's a closed in, bitter little girl, who needs to realize that the world doesn't revolve around her. Yes, she's been hurt. Yes, she has the right to feel angry and sad and hurt. Yes, it's understandable that she would have trouble trusting people. But the degree she takes it to is unbelievably selfish. She shuts the world out, and then expects it to come knocking. She says she wants to be left alone, yet deep inside she deperately craves attention, approval, and love. Her actions are a cry for help, but it's a cry she doesn't want to have to give. What Lia wants is for people to come to her, and offer to ease her suffering without her ever havign to say anything, because acknowledging that side of her means acknowledging her pain, and that means acknowledging that the world has hurt her and can hurt her again, and that is weakness. In chapter 17, when Lia is feeling abandoned by Bastian as he plans to move to Obelisk, instead of going to him, or even Jaden, and talking it out, she overreacts when Bastian shows concern for her and flings her feelings in his face, honestly expecting him to apologize for hurting her and offer to stay be her side. When he doesn't, and when he doesn't even understand why she's so hurt, Lia storms off in tears, which is reminiscent of a toddler throwing a tantrum. Lia, at this point, is emotionally stunted and not good with dealing with her own bubbling feelings, or the feelings of others. Like Jaden, she only sees her own wishes, and disregards others. She even says as much, though not in so many words and without really knowing what she is saying: " People don't _like_ me, Jaden. I'm not someone people go out of their way to talk to. I'm not someone people want to get close to!" People don't like **me**. **I'm** not someone people go out of their way to talk to. She, unconsciously, admits to pushing people away, and at the same time, she's emotionally pulling Jaden closer, gving him a confession that will make him _want_ to be her friend. Of course, Lia's not trying to manipulate him. She's once again throwing her feelings at someone, but this time, it's because she's trying to explain her actions. She feels guilty for causing Jaden and Syrus unnecessary pain by running away from them. Even though there might be selfish reasons behind it, Lia is also taking responsibility for herself and trying to ease someone else's pain (pain that _she_ caused, that's what gets her. This might be the first time Lia's thorns really parted, and she saw that there was a bigger world). It's one of the first times Lia grows, but the roots for it start to show very early on.

Even as early on as chapter 12 and 13, Lia has changed significantly. The Lia in chapters 2 and 3 wouldn't have been caught dead trying to comfort Syrus or help Jaden, or even voice her hatred of Zane. Lia, who has trouble dealing with her empathy, is struck by Syrus, who is the thing she was afraid of becoming. He's weak, he's spineless, and he lets everybody walk all over him. When she reached out to him, instead of being repulsed by looking into a twisted mirror, Lia truly opened her heart. While the thorns didn't part to see the world, they parted to see a person in the same situation as her, and Lia was forced to deal with her empathy for the first time in the span of the story. She may have saved Jaden when he was late to his duel, and she may have laughed with Alexis as they explored the basement, but she never really let either of them in. In pulling Syrus into an embrace, Lia acknowledged that he was everything she could've been, and everything she might still become, and she was just as weak on the inside as he was. It was, in fact, Syrus and not Jaden, who first got into Lia's heart.

After that , Lia grows in leaps and bounds. By the end of the Shadow Rider's Arc, as the group plans to get Syrus back, Lia has come to a point where she is actually comfortable with her emotions. She can casually talk with Alexis and argue with Jaden on a level they both understand and admit, both to others and, more importantly, _herself_, that she's worried sick and wants to help get Syrus back. The emotionally stunted girl who threw her feelings in other people's faces and held the world at bay while expecting it to still want to save her even when she says she doesn't want to be saved is rapidly being consumed by the young woman who acknowledges that she's been hurt, and wants to protect others from bing hurt. In acknowledging her own pain with Syrus, and actually _telling_ Alexis about what happened to her, Lia has finally started to let go of the chains that have held her back from so long. She's starting to look at her own selfishness, and is consciously trying to keep it at bay. In the epilogue, Lia throws herself at her friends and kisses each of their cheeks, which is a French greeting and goodbye (I spent some time with a couple that was French. After knowing them for maybe three hours, my family had to leave. Both husband and wife held my face and kissed both my cheeks, and then said goodbye). In doing that, Lia takes the last step to opening her heart to them; She lets them know she values them. She has never once, despite her actions or words, been overly affectionate with anybody. She's playfully punched and called people 'cherie' and shared deep, emotionally-scarring moments, but she's never really returned a hug without stiffen, and in the second-to-last chapter, she leans into Alexis' embrace and returns it. By kissing their cheeks and delivering her last line, (which, by the way, means "Where I am from, that is how we say 'goodbye'"), Lia has given them the power to hurt her, something she has jealously guarded up until them. They are her friends, she loves them, and if they leave her, it will hurt. That is what her final actions mean, and that is why the story ends there; because Lia's development for this Year is done. She's opened her heart. She's acknowledged her own weakness. She's been forced to see that the world is bigger than her, and while she's been hurt, it's time to let go of her anger and stop relying on other people to make her happy. She must make her own happiness first by letting herself be happy. Later Years will deal with Lia being forced to deal with feelings of love, and finding her own place, and finally, being able to protect the people she loves like they've protected her, but for now, she's content to just let go of her anger and let people care about her.

I'm not ashamed to say that I am very proud of her right now.

And finally, there's Syrus. Sweet, darling little Syrus, who I decided not only deserved a confrontation with his brother, but deserved to come out the winner.

And I'm not talking about when he told Zane he hated him.

Syrus has always been the one who will support Jaden. He has always been the one who will risk his own life to protect someone else's. Syrus is, in my mind, one of, if not THE, strongest character in GX. And I wanted to give him his due. I started out with him basically the same as he was in the show, but exaggerated his traits. His slight fear of Zane became a crippling phobia. His shy tendencies became a fear of the world. His nervous reactions became full-blown breakdowns. Syrus, in my storyline, has suffered more, overcome more, and fought back more that he ever did in GX. The show gave Syrus and Zane a decent, but not entirely satisfying ending. We saw Syrus grow into his own, but his respect and rather obvious fear of is brother remained, and he never really got a chance to get thos feelings of resentment that I'm sure he had out. Zane pulled a last minute redemption story and sacrifised the duel, and therefore, his soul in order to save Syrus, and they went on to become close, if not the best of friends. This explains why Syrus couldn't save Zane when he went over the deep end in Season 2, and started underground dueling and turning into a creepy, leather-wearing sadist who looks like he bought out and S&M clothing store...ahem! Syrus and Zane, at the end of GX, have a working, somewhat close relationshio due to the events that took place. I threw that right out the window and fucked them both over good.

Syrus has the confrontation I always wanted him to have. I decided I wanted Syrus to grow in confidence and strength in a way that was completely independent of Zane, so instead of striving for his older brother's approval, Syrus turns to Jaden for an ego boost and Lia for awkward comfort that has already been discussed in her section. In not chasing after Zane or trying to prove himself, I let Syrus grow in a way that it very different from his anime counterpart, and that path is what let me write that confrontation. The Syrus in this story has no need for Zane's approval and love. This Syrus has found that he has friends who will support him and love him in place of Zane, and the more he hangs out with them, the more confidence he gains and more he is able to believe in himself. Which is why, when Zane shoots down Syrus' offer of peace (telling his brother he loves him. Syrus was extending the proverbial olive branch to Zane, hoping that now he can finally be closer to his big brother, seeing as how he has finally started to come into hsi own in a way that doesn't involve Zane in the slightest), the last thing Zane ever expected is finally pushed too far, and does what Syrus in the show doesn't really try to do until that horrible duel in Season 2:

He pushes _back_.

In telling Zane that he hated him, Syrus finally asserted himself, and showed Zane that he could survive just fine in the world Zane was so sure he would fail in. In standing up and winning against the biggest bully on the playground, Syrus finally proved himself to Zane, and Zane was able to go off to face Camulla broken hearted but relieved that his brother would be alright. It's twisted, and it's wrong, but that's the Zane I created, so it works. At the same time, this is Syrus' revenge. He doesn't know it, Zane doesn't know it, but it is a prime example of the author's sense of justice. I could've written that plot point without having Syrus say 'I hate you!'. But it would've lost so much signifigance if I had. Because, while I broke Zane's heart, I managed to give Syrus his _real_ moment. The crowning achievement for me in this fanfic was not Lia's growth or Haou's early introduction or even Atticus' melancholy reunion with Yasmin, only to have her snatched away again. No, my favourite scene in this whole story is when Syrus comes running in and shoves Zane to the side, glaring at Camulla and shouting 'You can't have him!' He goes after his brother, with whom he has just had the worst falling out of his life, and saves him by sacrificing himself in the process, his final words to Zane being: ' I love you.'

THAT is strength.

THAT is why I think Syrus is the strongest character in this story, because he was willing to put aside his petty differences with his brother, and let go of the fact that Zane hurt him, and give up EVERYTHING solely because Zane is his _brother_ and Syrus _loves him_. I won't lie to you, I got a little choked up when I wrote that scene. I love, and will forever love Syrus, but that scene was simultaniously (sp?) the easiest and hardest scene to write, because it honestly wrote itself. I knew from the very start that Syrus was going to take Zane's place and be sacrficed to the Beasts, but I didn't expect it to come out like it did. I can only hope my readers were equally moved.

And now, at the end of it all, we can see the characters and how they've changed. That's what this epilogue is about, and what the main idea behind this story was. Change, and how one small change can affect everything. The next two Years are going to have severely affected by what took place this Year, and I look forward to writing them. But for now, I'd like to clear a few things up, and say my thanks.

For starters:

The Dark Magician's Girl's flowers were pink ambrosia and purple viscaria, which mean 'your love is returned', and 'will you dance with me?' respectively. This will come back.

Each of the names of Atticus' friends who went with him to the Abandoned Dorm mean something. Trish is Patricia, which means 'noble'. Katie is Katherine, which is 'pure'. Jovan is Swiss for John, and it means 'God's gracious gift', and Michail is Slavonic for Michael, which means 'who is like God'. Deon means 'god', and Talia is Latin for 'third' and Greek for 'abundance', which is meant to show that she was 'unwanted surplus', and was devoured by the shadows.

Lia bleeding when Jaden duels: It will explained later, but if you reread the first chapter, there is a bit of a hint in it.

Jaden isn't aware of Haou, he's just aware that there is some kind of terrible power inside of him, and it reacts when he needs it most.

Jaden cried for Porfessor Banner because that scene was far to easy-going in the show. I mean, the man just DIED in front of him. Not to mention the Jaden in my story is an emotional wreck by that point. Kagemaru picked a bad time to challenge Jaden.

Chazz knocking Lia out is officially named 'The Vulcan Bitchslap', because it knocks her out, and as much as he wants to, he can't slap her because Alexis would kill him.

Kitten is nw Lia's official nickname, although Jaden alternates between that and 'Koneko-chan'. Atticus got the idea from Jaden. Lia still doesn't know, and the two hope to keep it a secret.

Academics do not take promotional tests, at the end of the year. They can, if they want to, chose to sit a promotional exam at the end of the summer right before the next year starts to try and up their going-in marks in order to be placed in a higher dorm. Lia chose not to take the exam going into her second year.

Atticus was helping Chazz partly because he thought Chazz might be a good high school boyfriend for Alexis, partly because he wanted Chazz to get closure about his feelings (which are less of a crush and more of a desperate ploy to convince himself he had at least SOME say in where his life was going),a nd partly to make Zane jealous.

Atticus is deeply traumatized by what happened the night he disappeared. This is far from the last time he is going to try and protect Lia by telling her to get out while she can, and far from the last time Alexis is going to try and protect her, and FAAAAR from the last time Chazz will step in, either to help or make things worse.

" I'm staying." These words mean more than you know.

Atticus is bisexual in this story. I'm sorry if any of you take offense, but I've made no secret out of my Spiritshipping tendencies, and Atticus comes off, at least to me, as a person who wouldn't discriminate based on gender. I can just as easily picture him kissing Yasmin as I can flirting with an oblivious Jaden or sneaking a kiss off a good looking guy. He is the Captain Jack Harkness of GX, and if any of you get that reference, I will love you forever and give you a whole cake.

On that note, yes, he will be hitting on Jaden, and no, he won't be serious, and yes, this WILL lead to hilarious mishaps.

Lia's reaction to PDA's are that of a little kid's. She very unused to people being openly affectionate (she lives with her grandparents, who aren't likely to randomly start kissing in front of her), and she freaks out a little when she sees people kissing. Just you wait until she's the one getting kissed. (omg, spoiler!)

Chazz really does love the Ojamas, way deep down. He protected them as best he could when the Beasts were draining them. His bond with them will be fleshed out more as the story progresses.

Otillia- lucky heroine Margot- French for Margaret, meaning pearl. The pearl can be a Christian symbol of harmony, which is a state Lia will have to try and achieve later on, as her storyline becomes more and more complex, and her soul is thrown into chaos. It also means regeneration and rebirth, two things that will come into play later and affect not only Lia, but everyone else as well.

The East. The golden sun breaking the night. Dawn star. Pay close attention, because this will play a very heavy part in later twists. Again, Lia will have to face many terrible things, and not all of them will be external.

Kagemaru's fear wasn't from the move Jaden was about to make. It was of Jaden himself.

When Yasmin starts touching Lia and trying to look at her collar, Lia asks her what she thinks she is doing.

The strange marking is where the blood comes from. It leaks out through there, even though there is not cut or breaking of skin. Lia's reaction is to duel energy, and specifically, Jaden's duel energy. Yes, Year Three will be hell for her.

Lia is different. And she isn't ready yet.

And she _will_ know. Eventually.

You will all eventually know the Sex Ed of Jaden Yuki story. And what happened in that classroom.

Lia is a terrible influence on Syrus. And she knows it. And he knows it. And they both love that it bugs Zane as much as it does.

Lia is probably NEVER going to get Duel Monsters.

When Lia is thinking about going home, she thinks 'It's only two months...'

When Atticus says she's 'such a kid', he means she's a little naive and optimistic, which is funny, because Lia is usually the realist in the group.

Alexis and Atticus are from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Zane and Syrus hail from Lansing, Michigan, but are spending their summer with their family in California. Brier is from Maine, Chazz will be stopping off in New York to meet one his brothers, and then they will be flying to a summer home in the Italian country side, where Chazz will spend most of the summer avoiding Slade and Jagger and using his younger cousins (three of them) as meat shields. Lia will land in De Gaulle, be picked up by her grandfather Enric and cousin Leal (Old French for 'faithful'), and be driven to Auxerre, a pretty, typical French commune with a bustling tourist and wine industry that lies between Paris and Dijon, and is known for wines such as Chablis and Irancy. Jaden will land in Narita Airport (East of the Greater Tokyo Area). Bastian will land in the Stansted (London Stansted Airport), be picked up by his parents, and driven home to Ipswich.

(most of the information was taken from Wikipedia, god bless them.)

Adn finally, I'd like the thank all of you who have stuck with this story from day one, and all of you who left reviews to boost my ego and help me finish this thing. I'd like to thank everyone who popped in to read and didn't leave a review, and everyone who put up with my impromptu hiatuses, logn absences, and just general laziness.

I would like to thank kittydemon18, who has review each chapter without fail, and Hero Slayer, who always makes me feel like I'm doing something right. I'd like to thank sellyme and Nightshade07 for always having a compliment for me, even when my writing really didn't deserve it. I'd like to thank Crime Scene Fairy for reccing this story on her profile, and I'd like to give a big shout out to jackinafrickinbox, who declared himself a Lia fanboy and has been helping me prep for Years Two and Three for several months now. I want everybody to know that I really appreciate your reviews and your comments, and that your love for my storyline and my OC is what kept me going when I thought of scrapping this story early on. Thanks to all of you, I found out how far I could push my characters and my writing ability, and that means the world to me.

I'll see you all on the Duel Academy campus for the opening rally for Year Two: Descending Light!

Mistress of Sarcasm.


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